Grin the Reaper (Remastered)
by Deadi1025
Summary: His very name sends fear down the spine of even the hardiest of criminals. His penchant for carnage and destruction stands unchallenged. He is but a whisper, a dealer of thunder and death. An ominous figure that is the stuff of legends. Now he arrives in the shores of Roanapur. What trouble could he possibly bring to such a city?
1. The Red Ship

**A/N: **This was my first work, the one that started it all and I am proud to call this as my best work so far. Difficult it was to create an interesting story with a character based in my imagination. Even more so since it took me a while to get into the swing of things. It was fun as it went but soon I got writers block for a while and my interest dropped to a halt. Deciding to shelve this one for the time being, I began different stories and writing projects as to keep me thinking while I think of the next plot.

Looking at the various stories I've made after this and I must say that I have gotten better than before. Now looking back at this particular one, I wanted to improve on this story since I found it quite incomplete. Unsatisfactory.

Dedicating what spare time I had, I added more to this tragic tale of Grin and upgraded it to suit my taste. I gave more detail to the man behind the mask and to the people around him while not steering away from who they are in our favored show. Hope you will like this version even more.

Write your comments in the review board my dear readers and tell me if my actions proved satisfactory for your everlastingly hungry interests and imagination.

* * *

The sun peaked on the horizon as it slowly set in the South China Sea. The skies glowed red and the winds blew chilly trade winds into the glimmering ocean.

Not far off was a ship that went about its way across the waves. It was an old cruise ship but now old enough to be a rotten wreck. It was enamored with bright and rich colors of scarlet and blue with a large open deck. From rich people to mediocre to shipmates in the poop deck, the ship carried various characters off to their respected coasts and travel hubs.

Islands dot the horizon and showcased palm trees and the usual sights that appeal to tourists and travellers. And indeed it did for the sightseers and couldn't get enough of the views and invested many of it in their photos, and each other.

The heat didn't trouble them. Nor did the sunset that appeared in the horizon and the night stars that shone. It was a marvelous sight for the passengers in the ship. It made a simple trip around the sea interesting for all.

Sadly, the same couldn't be said for a man called Jho. He was your mediocre and regular joe doing his job. He was a janitor with a small patience and had no particular love for his job.

Like many people who had achieved nothing in one's life, Jho disliked many things. He disliked working in the ship and its endless toiling. He disliked the captain, the working conditions, the lifestyle serving the distasteful passengers and most of all he hated the passengers themselves!

It was all unbearable for him yes but he had no say in it. It was the only job he could do despite it being a dead end. Jho wouldn't be in this particular situation if it wasn't for the losses he made in gambling but as of now he had no choice. Despite the situation, he wanted more out of his life. A life of wealth, excitement and adventure as a man of his age would desire. What he got instead was a low paying job, crappy guests and the shit that awaits for him in the bathroom areas.

"This blows." He said after cleaning up some bastard's puke off the deck. "Another boring day in a boring ship. Nothing ever happens here."

It took an effort for him not to hurl himself after spending about an hour cleaning it and taking out the scent. He threw the mop to the floor afterwards and began smoking by the railings. Darkness came then some city's lights soon popped up beyond the horizon miles away.

"That must be Roanapur. Glad we aint passing there."

Truth be told that was the only few good things he had throughout the trip. He's heard of what kind of city Roanapur was. It was hell on earth with no laws and death at every corner. The moment a guy steps foot there he grows a new asshole. Stories such as that however shroud the wealth that pours into it every day. But for people like Jho wouldn't know anything about that.

"Wouldn't be caught dead in that place. Not in a million yea-"

A sight of a moving shadow caught his eye. The unexpected surprise made him drop his cigarette and gave him a fearful shiver. As dark as the sea was at that hour, he couldn't help but see silhouettes of men that were climbing the ship from their small boats.

There were dozens of them and saw them sneak about all over the ship like cockroaches. Jho was terrified and speechless for a moment as he stood on the balcony, petrified. He hid immediately behind some cargo and then watched as the events follow through.

Armed with shotguns, six-shooters and rusty blades, the rugged looking pirates stormed the ship. Passengers were taken by surprised and scattered in the chaos. Gunfire erupted as small skirmishes erupted all over the ship between the pirates and security forces. Some of the passengers fought back with foolish bravery but soon enough, the pirates took over.

The passengers were herded together and were gathered into the center deck in the open. Valuables were handed over and wallets were torn as the passengers could do nothing but obey with barrels and blades breathing down their neck.

A few pirates kept guard over the hostages while the rest began looting the rooms. They ransacked bags and crates and threw them out of windows. Glass were broken and furniture's were vandalized as the pirates pillaged the ship.

Amidst the commotion, Jho did his best to huddle in his hiding spot. He prayed to whatever god for the nightmare to be over. He could hear the innocents cry and weep as the pirates barked orders and fire their guns in the air. As atrocious as it all was already, it couldn't compare to what came next.

One of the hostages started to wrestle the pirate leader for his gun. A few others rebelled and tried overpowering the pirates. Shots were fired then all hell broke loose. People ran in chaos trampling each other and running away from the scene.

The Pirates, whilst outnumbered were armed and shot and stabbed indiscriminately at the mob. More men tried fighting them off but were butchered all the same alongside the rest who tried running away. Red soon colored the deck and the pirates chased and shot the rest into the confines of the ship and threw others overboard.

Jho who was hiding in the sidelines hurled his guts out after seeing the carnage. He couldn't take it anymore! He got up and ran away from the crowd and the slaughter.

_I have to get out of here...Oh, _he thought. _This is some fucked up shit that's goin on here!_

He hardly ran a few feet from where he was when he collided with one of the passengers. The fat fuck fell on top of him suffocating him with the bastard's sweat and tears.

"Help me! God Damn it! Get me out of here!" he cried

"Help yourself fugly! Get off!" Jho replied

But the man couldn't. The man's obesity was the death of him. He was shot multiple times all over and couldn't move without feeling the bullets piercing his flesh. He was trapped. They both were.

They struggled with each other and unbeknownst to them one of the pirates saw them and made his way towards them loading his pistol as he walked. Jho was panicking and struggled ever so more to get away. His leg was trapped as well as his life.

The pirate steadily walks on his weapon at the ready aimed towards them, the sight of which made Jho close his eyes waiting for his death. He didn't want to die just yet.

The pirate began firing, his bullets hitting his mark. The fat man yelled at Jho's ear after every blast covering his face with blood as well blurring him of his vision but blocked him from the onslaught. As he laid there untouched, he felt lucky that he wasn't hit.

_I'm alive! Hahaha! Thanks fat ass! I'm-"_Ooof!"

The pirate with the pistol stepped him on and all happiness disappeared from Jho's face as he went eye to eye at the barrel of the gun.

"Not so lucky anymore are ya punk?" the man said with a grin

* * *

"Fuck! Bastard got blood all over my shoes!" The pirate shouted at the corpse. He angrily emptied his mag on the corpse.

"That's what you get for showing off Yuda. You wanna look cool and you end up with shit" The second pirate Chon said as he saw his friend's work. "Never knew you for an Eastwood fan though."

"Shut up haha! I technically did the prick a favor. It was either that or he gets crushed by that fatass."

"Hahahaha! Yea! Jokes aside the boss man wants us to go to the cargo hold and look for the rest of the goods. The others will handle the rest up here."

"Still pissing yourself at the sight of blood huh? You never learn." Yuda mocked. "Let's go then. Somebody's gotta watch your ass down there. I wouldn't mind picking up a few things before the rest."

The second pirate held his own tongue and just shrugged off the comment with a finger. The two walked their way down the corridors and met up with the bossman. He was a grizzled old veteran with the scars to prove it and an attitude that ruins any day. With him were 2 other guys, a Youngblood recruit and the other was just another forgettable face.

"Let's go now ladies. We gotta get in and out fast before the feds arrive." The old man barked.

"Don't worry about it gramps. No cop will be out this late in the middle of the fucking ocean in the fucking dark." Yuda replied mockingly

"They will after that gunshow we just pulled off. Now we have the rest of the guys killing em off."

"You mean the gunshow YOU started pops?"

"Piss off prick. Before I chop you off and shove it up your ass." The veteran said. Both men had their hands on their weapons with tensions rising for all of them.

"It didn't have to be this way. It didn't have to be this way," the youngest of the group muttered under his breath. "They just had to force our hand did they?"

"Yea. But then again they were idiots. Some of them wanted to be heroes and look where that got them." Yuda replied, taking his attention away from the old man.

"Still though, do we have to kill everybody?"

"Do you want them to rat us all out to the cops? I aint doing jail time again. I'm not saying that I'm proud in doing this but I got to. This could be our lucky break and I aint having a tourist or a fucking rookie to take that away from me. Now let's do what we came here to do. And not a word out of you, you little spitfuck" the old man pointed at the hothead Yuda

They said nothing more as they went their way to the main cargo hold. A few gunshots were heard echoing through the walls. The sound of heavy breathing and crawling was heard before finishing with a bang. The 5 men who walked on saw the lower decks clean and bloodless as compared to the upper deck.

"Nobody's made it this far huh? No problems then" one of them said

"Stay on your toes though. You'll never know." The boss replied. "We haven't reached the end yet.

The group soon arrived to the last hall. There they men a large iron door that would lead them to the cargo hold. It took them a while to open but fortunately for them, 5 men were more than enough to make it budge.

The halls echoed with a loud screeching of scraping metal as the men pried the door open. The door soon opened wide revealing a dark portal. One of the men entered and pulled on a switch on the side that turned on the lights of the room.

The room revealed rows upon rows of baggage and crates. All were neatly stacked upon each other reminiscent to a shopping mall. The pirates entered the labyrinth and started pillaging the contents at random. They broke open bags and spilled its contents to the floor before picking up valuables in haste.

"Hey guys! I think you better take a look at this!"

The pirates ceased their looting and made their way to their comrade's location.

The pirate pointed towards the figure that lay on the pile. It sat as though it was on the throne as crates and bags were molded to befit it. The man was of medium build, skinny but not to the point of desperation. Short messy hair of a raven black shade rested on its crown and pockets of grey hair etch on its outline. The light almost made it seem to glow. He wore dark attire complete with a stitched up leather jacket, gloves and heavy boots.

What they hadn't noticed as they got closer to it was that he was wearing some sort of gas mask. It looked old and worn that covered the lower part of his face. It was an odd looking one too, made in a shape of a skull with a black bandanna tied along its left eye. The pirates also felt a strong and sinister aura surrounding the figure and unsheathed their weapons at the ready but were hesitant to come any closer.

"Go check it out rookie." Yuda commanded. _Weird_. _What the fuck did we get ourselves into? _

The young pirate slowly approached the figure with his rusty machete pointing forward. He was careful at his step as the others followed behind uncertain if the figure was a corpse or a threat.

"Is he alive, rookie?" The old pirate asked.

The rookie hesitantly went closer to the unconscious man. Faint mists slowly flowed out of the mask. Looking closer, a short burst of gas blew at the Rookie's face and blocked his vision for a moment.

The Rookie coughed as he smelled the noxious fumes and fanned away the foul smelling mist. Once the smoke cleared, the rookie went face to face with the figure and came close to wetting his pants as the mysterious figure's eye gazed straight back at him with red eyes!

"He's-erk!" the rookie choked out before the figure grabbed him by the neck and crushed his throat shut.

"Fuckin kill him!" The oldest pirate yelled and began blasting lead. The others did the same but the man pulled the rookie in front of him. Blood spewed into the air as the rookie was torn apart by the barrage. The figure then charged forward towards them with the corpse in tow.

The masked man grabbed the rookie's machete with his free hand and slashed the nearest pirate in the face. The blow was quick and decapitated the man with one blow.

Crimson liquid pooled out like a fountain. Blood stunned the other 3 men in awe and shock as it flew to their faces. Amidst the confusion, Grin moved in and threw the kid to the oldest and then stabbed impaled him with the corpse on the wall like a work of art.

"That's it! I'm out of here!" the second pirate yelled and started running out of the room. He dropped his weapons along the way and ran for his life.

Left behind to deal with the threat, the first pirate held his ground and laughed at the carnage in front of him. He dropped his empty pistol and took out a machete and readied himself for a fight.

"You're pretty good man. I always wanted a challenge." he joked. The masked man simply looked on.

The masked man said not a word. Only the sounds of mechanical breathing covered the room. The man's silence started to scare the pirate. His hands began shaking and his breathing quickened. A look on the man's single red eye revealed the man's intention. Boredom. The masked man didn't see him at all as a threat.

"Motherfucker! I'll show you who's worthless!" The pirate yelled and charged forward.

The masked man's eye remained unchanged and watched as the idiot ran at him. Brave were the pirate's words but the fear in his eyes betrayed him as it made his actions sloppy.

The moment the pirate hacked at him with all his strength the masked man simply raised his arm and had it collide with the blade. The force of the impact unexpectedly shattered the blade. The masked man's arm was intact save for a large gash that ripped the leather sleeve.

The pirate staggered in disbelief as he looked at the broken piece of steel on his hands. The masked man quickly lifted him by one hand. The pirate struggled to escape, banging at the cold arm as he did to no avail.

The masked man held firm and unsheathed a large Bowie knife from behind his own jacket. The pirate looked on helplessly remained silent as he watched the shining silver blade in front of him. The masked man gutted the pirate while the latter screamed in pain and was afterwards dropped to the floor left to die.

* * *

"You fought well." The man growled as he watched the pirate shake as it bled to death. His voice was low, hoarse and disoriented due to the mask. His breathing was paced and echoed throughout the room.

Kneeling down next to the dying man, he watched as the life faded from his eyes. Digging into his pockets, he took out a dollar coin. He opened the man's mouth and placed it directly under the pirate's tongue. He finished it off by closing the lids of the dead man.

He took a moment to collect himself as his head ached due to the abrupt wake up call. He breathed slowly letting the painkiller-laced gas from his mask imbue his system. He repeated the process a few times and allowed it to ease him up from all the excitement.

"Nice nap." He yawned feeling a bit woozy. He cracked his knuckles and stretched his back. "Good warm up. I sure could use more."

It wasn't long when more faint gunshots and more screaming broke his concentration and caught his attention.

"Speak of the devil." He grinned under his mask. Tossing the knife between his hands, he made his way topside. His heart pumped with excitement for the souls that were waiting for him up there.

* * *

Chon ran for what seemed like hours after seeing the horror on the cargo hold. He saw it as a nightmare as a beast ripped through all those people. He ran away with no regrets of leaving his friend behind to deal with that freak alone. That guy was a maniac. They both were. Chon had hoped that they would at least kill each other in the end.

Chon fell to the ground and puked heavily to the floor. It was all too much for him. It was all too unreal for him. What that thing did was impossible. He tried wiping the blood off of his hands but couldn't. Tears started falling from his eyes as he stressed to grasp what he saw.

"That thing ain't human!" he said as he struggled to stand. "I am SO out of here! I gotta-gotta get the other's! Yes! That's what I'm gonna do!"

As soon as he managed to stand up he suddenly felt pure terror. He felt something come closer towards him. The sound of mechanical breathing resonated all over the halls. He didn't know where it came from but he knew it could only come from THAT man.

The sound was everywhere and it clawed into his psyche. Chon pissed his pants wet n fear and broke into a run. He didn't care where as long as it wasn't down where he was. Running for what felt like a lifetime Chon passed through the endless doors and dark corridors.

Chon soon became exhausted. His breathing became heavy, his heartbeat punching him to stop but terror gripped him tight. He had to get out of there. He had to get topside. The others must be warned.

The sounds of gunfire gave him high hopes that he was close. Light soon emanated from the distance. It was the exit he was searching for desperately. He was saved. The others will be there. Killers and brawlers that is tougher and more dangerous than him who will kill the one that's chasing him.

"That Freak can't kill all of them hahaha." He said hopefully as he bolted out of the door. "WE GOT TROUBLE OVER HERE GUYS! He's right behind me!"

The moment he emerged from the confines of the ship, the lowly pirate's heart sank. In the open, he saw his fellow pirates fighting for dear life and getting butchered. Chon stood motionless as he saw the masked man move through his friends like a plague and cut them apart effortlessly.

Chon looked in horror as he watched the hardiest men he knew fall dead. Their necks and limbs were bent in two. Their faces collapsed and bloodied with the masked figure towering above all of them.

It moved like a ghost in the battlefield. Walking about in the open as it shot down men with a single blast or with a quick slash. It jumped from cover to cove, blocking and dodging every shot. It even used some of the corpses as a shield as it moved about with composure.

The pirates shot erratically with curses and loud guns but none appeared to make its mark. They were in a panic they were firing blindly. Spraying and praying more like it.

Helpless and in panic, the masked man did it's work well with painting the ship's deck with red. Limbs were scattered all over, blood coated the walls, and bodies litter the floors. The pirate's stood no chance. It was a massacre.

Chon who fell seated at the floor as he saw his last colleague bite the dust. He did not even raise his weapon as the man saw him. He did not try to run as it walked near him. He did not raise his voice and shout as the man stood before him. He was broken and defeated.

"W-w-w-who are y-you?" the pirate stuttered.

"People call me Grin." he replied. Rolled the cartridges of his revolver, he pointed it to the petrified man's head as soon as the spinning stopped. "Most call me 'Reaper'."

**BANG**

* * *

Grin patted down his hands and cleaned his blades the moment the thrill was over. He took a few seconds to breath and looked around his surroundings. He was saddened by what he saw. Many innocents litter the decks of men, women and even children who never had a chance in life. That troubled him a little as he walked in the blood-covered ship.

Grin found himself with another problem; he's stuck on a ship with a lot dead people. Even worse, he was stuck on a ship with a lot of dead people without anyone with the knowledge of driving a ship. Grin climbed to the bridge and looked for a solution. He was fortunate to see the engines are still running but fuel was low.

Looking around, he saw city lights far on the horizon. He steered the ship to that direction and set his course there. A large statue emerged the moment he got closer. The sun began rising from the horizon and revealed the statue's shape. It took a shape of a large faceless Buddha.

Grin immediately knew where he was heading. He made a malicious smile as he thought of the wonderful opportunity that fate has given him. It was a good place to start anew.

"Roanapur here I come."


	2. A Grand Entrance

"Home sweet home." The large black man, Dutch stretched as he disembarked from the _Lagoon_. The _Lagoon _was an old PT boat that he used back in Vietnam. It was stable, fast and the closest friend he could ever ask for. The boat however was a shadow of its former glory as it was all banged up, full of holes and had a coughing engine.

"You rode us as far as you could today darlin'." Dutch patted the boat like a pet. Turning to the others, he said "I'm gonna get some shut eye."

"You could say that again." Benny, the crew's tech wiz, agreed. "Repairs can wait for tomorrow."

"Couldn't we at least have a drink at the Flag before hitting the hay?" Revy, the female gunman with a happy trigger finger, begged. "I could really use something heavy and get wasted after a fucked up job."

"Our entire day was wasted with nothing to show for. And that is already 'something heavy'. That's enough for me. It can all wait tomorrow which isn't that far off at this hour." Dutch replied with his usual cool tone.

"Whatever." Revy said. "What do you say Rock? Ready to even the score?"

"I'm gonna have to pass. It's late and I got lots to do in the morning." Rock, the latest crewmember and negotiator, indifferently replied and went face first to the couch. He didn't even bother to change out of his trademark business shirt.

It WAS an exhausting day for the Lagoon Company. Their entire afternoon was spent along the sea on their small PT boat carrying goods and contraband for deliveries in various towns along the Indochina Sea. The other half of the day was spent being chased by smugglers who thought that a double cross would pay more. Gunfights and quick thinking ensued all afternoon.

The surprises did not end there as they came across the police and spent all evening evading and hiding from both groups. The cover of night saved them but not their pay and their patience. They were all on edge. The chase and the gunfire cost them about 40% of their payload. That meant a 40% cut of their pay. Everyone was on edge.

"Pussy. You just scared cuz you can't beat me in another round of shots." Revy teased. "C'mon Mr. Jap fight for your honor or some shit"

She knew that Rock has a weakness when people started questioning his manliness. When pushed to the edge, he would go and tag along to prove otherwise. She started lightly kicking him to egg him on further. Rock was close to giving in till Dutch came to the rescue and tossed the noisy redhead a beer.

"There's your drink. Now would you kindly shut up and keep quiet cuz this nigger here needs his beauty sleep." Dutch said as he rubbed his temples. "I'll see ya'll later." He was in an obviously bad mood.

"Sweet dreams then boys. I'm goin out." Revy complied. She didn't want to get on Dutch's bad side. Even for the bloodthirsty Revy "Two-Hands", she knew her own limitations. Or better yet, those of her boss's. Dutch always keeps on a cool headed demeanor but when push came to shove, the man was a force of nature that would take one by storm.

The moment she left silence ensued in the Lagoon Company rooms. Taking off his boots to the corner, his flak jacket on the hanger and his black sunglasses on the bedside table. Lying down and relaxing on his own bed, Dutch finally managed to find some peace. He started to doze off and get a much-needed sleep til—

**SCREEEEEEEETCH! CRASH! BOOOOOMMM!**

Like a thousand party balloons being rubbed at the same time, something large skidded along the railings of the docks. Then came a crash that shook the entire building and the entire street along with it.

The collision sent Rock falling down off the couch and Benny's tech dropped to pieces. Sounds of other furniture and debris came crashing down and echoed throughout the building. To make matters worse, the crash woke up Dutch.

"THAT'S IT! SOMEONE's GONNA GET SHOT!" Dutch bellowed as he got up and made his way outside followed by Benny and Rock who were also abruptly awakened.

"What the fuck was that? Did something blow up?" Benny asked. Half of him wished that it was all part of a dream.

"I don't think so. Sounded more like something big crashing into something.." Rock replied.

As the trio made their way outside they saw Revy by the street laughing at the riot. People around the area were visibly shaken. Lights started popping up all over the streets as eyes were looking onwards to the site of the crash. Some even went outside to take a closer look at the wreck.

"What did you do this time Revy?" Dutch gruffly asked.

"I didn't do shit! Some drunk bastard just parked his ride on the wrong side of the docks haha!" Revy replied as she pointed over the large boat that dug itself past the wooden ports and gravel streets. It stopped to a halt in a building nearby where it imbedded itself deep within its confines. Rubble and smoke still moved about from it. Smaller boats nearby were blown away and people ran like roaches towards the wreck.

"That was AWESOME!" Revy cheered. "Well that made my day. I'm off to bed. I had my fill of excitement for one day."

"What do you think happened?" Rock asked Dutch as they made their way back to the apartments.

"Don't know, don't care. As long as it isn't my dock that's burning down I don't give a fuck." The big man said nothing more after that and Rock kept his questions to himself to avoid any arguments.

"Lucky for me, my job's later in the evening." Benny said as he patted Rock in the back.

"Lucky?" Rock asked with a hint of confusion. Benny said nothing but only pointed out at the sea with a grin in his face. The sun was already up and then his phone abruptly set off an alarm.

"Fuck."

* * *

The ship's crash and damage in the docks took the people of Roanapur's attention with keen interest especially amongst the criminal underworld. The destruction that it caused halted some of the local businesses that operated in that side of the docks.

Fortunately enough, the collision did not kill anyone in the area. That fact alone would surprise most. This was probably due to the irony of everyone dying in any event in the city of the dead almost every day. It was after the discovery of the bodies inside that many paid attention more to the site. The top players from the Criminal Underworld especially would start sniffing.

That was exactly what Grin was hoping for. He enjoyed a little theatricality from his work. He wanted to show the city just what he could do and what he was capable off for those who were in need for his skills. And what better way to advertise that fact other than doing it with some grandeur and one hell of an entrance that would literally shake the foundations of the city of Roanapur.

His plan was almost foolproof that is until the cops came pouring in onto the site. They disembarked from their vehicles and scattered from all sides. They started setting up checkpoints and started cordoning off the establishment. Grin did not expect the police to react sooner than expected.

Cursing under his breath, Grin thought fast and took advantage the confusion and panic to escape. The citizens were all too focused at the grand scene to take notice of a gasmask wearing ghoul who was walking past them. Grin hid amongst the crowds and wadded past the sea of people till he found a suitable place to hide.

"Fucking cops." Grin cursed. All the work he'd done was thrown out the window. He sank in the floor next to a nearby dumpster and took the time to gather his thoughts to think of what to do next. It took him a while to realize that his actions WERE quite stupid.

As he soon stood up and made his way through the backstreets in defeat, a thought then popped up. He didn't know the lay of the land properly. Namely the players and rules of the city are completely unknown to him. Grin knew that information is power and such power would save him from an early grave. He needed to know the different factions of Roanapur and know what they need so as he could curry their favor for his benefit. The rules must be abided as well so as to improve his chances of survival.

The only problem facing him though is that a new face would stick out like a sore thumb in a place like this. A person a mile away would notice a tall and gaunt mask-wearing maniac in a bloodstained suit. Unwanted attention would foil his information gathering and would attract some goons who would cause him trouble. He needed a way to blend in.

"Give me the wallet pal and no one gets hurt."

Grin didn't get startled nor threatened by the voice that called out behind him. Even with a knife touching his neck, he didn't even flinch. It wasn't his first rodeo with his life on the line. Fear did not crawl its way up his spine as the blade tapped onto his back. It was a hunger for blood and the excitement of carnage. Grin slowly turned around and faced the man who offered him a challenge.

To Grin's dismay, it wasn't what the challenge that he was expecting. The man was skinny as hell and filthy with his face and hands covered in muck. His hands were also shaking from apparent sign of drug abuse. Give or take it would put a man desperate and dangerous.

Grin knew that the mugger posed no threat to him. A gust of wind would have blown this man off to China without much of a fight. A glance of the man's shaking eyes convinced Grin that the man lacked the guts to kill even with the fanaticisms of a druggie. Unfortunately for the man, Grin was.

The mugger was surprised the moment he saw the Reaper's face. Momentary stunned at the sight, he mistakenly lowered his knife by an inch. Grin took it as a sign and gripped the man by the face and slammed it to the nearby brick wall.

The impact made a satisfying crunching sound as Grin slammed it again and again to the wall. Blood, bones and brains littered the area around the corpse. It then fell limp in the ground dead, as simple as that.

As entertaining as that was, it only increased Grin's dilemma. The brutality of his actions had splattered a considerable amount of blood on him. As wonderful as it looked, it only made it harder for Grin to blend in the crowds.

Weighing his options, Grin looked into his pockets and found some money that he stole from the pirates. Buying clothes however was not an option, as it would leave him exposed to bystanders. Thinking about and pacing the alley, Grin found his solution.

"Lucky me. You solved my problem." Grin said and picked up the corpse's jacket.

Fortunately, the jacket was of leather and would easily take out the blood with a quick dip. Though, it was a little bit loose but it would do a good job in hiding his face and all from curious crowds. The fact that he looked like a hobo would avoid further suspicion for eavesdropping. Who would look at a beggar twice?

"Thank you for your assistance. Send a good word for me up there my friend" Grin whispered to the dead man as he closed his eyes gently. He then slipped in a coin under the man's tongue before leaving. "For your troubles."

* * *

Night soon blanketed the bustling city. The cold mists and shadow crawled onto the deserted alleys that furthered the Roanapur's reputation of being called the City of the Dead. Not all remain as dark and bleak as the slums however. Various businesses and activities light up the streets with neon light advertising as they sold their wares. Citizens, tourists and prostitutes flock the various restaurants and casinos thus bringing some sign of life in the city's dark shadow.

In one of the few skyscrapers that towered above it all, a middle aged Chinese man in his black overcoat and shades sat on a couch that faces the dazzling lights of his kingdom. On his left he held a cigarette and on the other is his Bourbon drink. He fills the air with smoke as he contemplates the events of the day with his officers.

The stress from the various instances that occurs daily in the city exhausted Chang. No one said that ruling his share of the city was easy nor was it simple. Especially in a complex city such as Roanapur. Money had to be distributed, upkeep was to be updated, kill orders had to be made and Chang has to be present in all of them. Such was the responsibility handled by the Triad boss.

The ship incident soon reached the Triad's ears. They noticed it as something else entirely. The subject in question was unimaginable and shrouded in mystery. It caught Chang's special attention. Mostly out of sheer curiosity than interest.

"What do we know about it?" Chang asked his men as he refreshed himself with a drink.

"Based on what we found out, _Dai lo_ is that there were no contraband found inside the ship." the gangster known as Biu replied. "64 dead passengers and 17 dead pirates and large signs of a struggle and gunfire were found all over the scene."

"These were also taken by the cleaners to give us a clearer picture of the scene."Biu then took out a stack of photos out of his suitcase and showcased them to the others one by one.

The Triads always had good agents throughout the city most especially with the Cleaning business. Chang specifically invested on them as they give good benefits for his organization.

Whatever the cleaners may find, the Triads would get first dibs. The Triad needs to get rid of someone or send a message; the Cleaners will do so in kind. Some of them are hired on the job in the Triad's pool of hitmen.

"Did they belong to any factions?" one of the other gangsters asked as he pointed to one of the dead pirates in the photo.

"None by the looks of it. Our spies indicate no action from the other organizations here in Roanapur regarding these pirates" Biu replied. "They are just unlucky pirates who happened to raid the wrong ship."

"Question is, what DID they come across to when they entered the ship?" One of the officers exclaimed. "I also see here that the wounds of the passengers are different from the pirates"

The others then looked again at the photos and had their own animated conversations to one another citing their own thoughts and theories on the subject. Chang also noticed the oddity. The passengers were shot and butchered sloppily. He could only guess that the pirates did this.

Now the wounds found on the pirates themselves were absolutely different. They were stabbed and shot with pinpoint accuracy in vital parts of their body for a quick kills. Some had crushed skulls and broken bones. That would have been done with unbelievable force and would be impossibly done by a normal person. Whoever did this must have been very skilled and very dangerous.

"This was found on the scene and it might answer all our questions." Biu took out a videocassette tape from his suitcase. He handed it to one of the gangsters who inserted it to the TV to play.

"What is it?" one of the men asked.

"It's footage from the ship given to us directly by Chief Watsap after a handsome fee. It's the only copy. No one else in the city knows of it except for us." Biu stated with a smug look "I also had the film edited to show us only the vital parts of the film."

Biu always had a thing for detail and never ceased to amaze Chang with his skills in micromanaging any situation with efficiently. He was glad to put Biu in charge of the operation. He knew that Biu would do well with it effectively. Biu wasn't called number 2 for nothing.

CCTV cameras in the ship caught the footage. The first part of the film showed the pirates boarding the ship and taking over. It then skipped to the view of the ship's bridge and showed the pilot's being overpowered and beaten by the pirates before controlling the ship completely.

The film skipped again to the scene where the pirates then led the people to the central deck. All hell broke loose as one of the hostages and a pirate fought over a gun. The gangsters watched indifferently as they saw the hostages get butchered and shot indiscriminately by the pirates. The film skips itself in the many parts of the ship where it showed the pirates hunting down the passengers and how they sacked the ship of its goods.

Few minutes into the film, the scene skips to a view in the hallway where the viewers saw a pirate running out of sheer terror from one end of the hall before disappearing from the screen. The scene stayed like that till a masked figure emerged from the shadows and calmly walked down the hall.

Biu paused then video immediately when the figure was very close to the camera.

"Is that who I think it is?" Chang asked. The other gangsters also showed surprise at seeing the mysterious figure.

The video was low quality but the features of the man were clearly visible enough. The thing that stood out the most was the man's face. Chang saw that a cloth bandaged his left eye and a particular gasmask on his face's lower half. It had a patchwork look of a skull.

"Yes _Dai lo_." Biu replied as he let the others have a look at the mysterious figure. "The person here Grin 'the Reaper' himself"

Just hearing the name visibly unnerved the gangsters. Grin "the Reaper" stands infamous as one of the most efficient killers in the criminal underworld. The Reaper was a bogeyman that butchers people regardless of title, age or affiliation. There would be no stopping this maniac once it sets out for the hunt.

Known for his efficiency, brutality and unorthodox methods. He is a force to be reckoned with and would never leave any survivors or potential witnesses. And now, he is in Roanapur. The fact that the Reaper himself has arrived in the shores of the bustling city would be a definite game changer.

The film continued with a view to the front deck. It showed where most of the pirates were gathering. Some were shown smoking and chatting while others are picking through the corpses and bags. They had just finished off the last of the passengers and began dumping the bodies to the sea.

The scene then changed to the upper decks where two of the pirates are seen talking and showing off their weapons to each other. Out of nowhere, a figure darted through the men. It slashed one of them in the neck before grabbing the other and carrying him off the balcony and away from the camera.

The camera changed to a scene where the Reaper jumped down to the deck with the unfortunate pirate on his feet. The landing caused the pirate to pop like a balloon in a torrent of blood.

The pirates' slow reaction allowed the masked man to cut down another person by a stab to the head. The Reaper used the other person as a human shield and began mowing down more of the pirates. The pirates were in a panic and were shooting at random. In their haste, some accidentally shot at their own men.

The Reaper worked fast as he slew the pirates with ease and agility. He used everything around him to his advantage from using corpses as cover, contents of the bags as distraction and the pirate's very own weapons.

In one scene he even used the rope of the mainmast and tied one of the pirates in the neck before sending the man up above 10ft to hang. That was one of the few abilities that the gangsters saw the Reaper do.

After the carnage was finished, one more pirate came into view. He came from inside the ship and looked to be in no will to fight. The Reaper approached the man and executed the man after a slight pause. The Reaper then looked at the screen and gave out a salute to the viewers. The video then went static.

"We didn't find him after the crash. He might have left after the police came pouring in." Biu stated

"The Reaper himself." An officer exclaimed in bewilderment. "In this city? God help us."

"It is a real game changer. We have to act fast."

"Do you want us to look for him _Dai lo_?" one of the men asked.

"There's no need. He'll show up again." Chang replied confidently as he leaned back in his chair and lit himself another cigarette.

He knew what this "Reaper" came to the city for. He'll give him his consideration. All Chang needed to do now was wait. The Reaper WILL show himself up eventually.

"How do you know that he would _Dai lo_?"

"You forget my friend; I used to be a cop. I know how these guys work." Chang replied. "All we got to do is dip our lines with good meat and a shark will come biting.

Chang dismissed the meeting. The men responded in kinds and left Chang to his own devices. He poured himself a large shot of Bourbon and stood in front of the window overlooking the city. At the edge of his eye, Chang saw a far off storm was coming to his 'wonderful' kingdom of a city.


	3. The First Job

From dawn till dusk, Grin spent the day amongst the populace of the city. Hiding in the shadows behind every normal occurrence, he patiently watched and learned what he could about how life and death works in the city.

Grin sat near restaurants and bars, walked around marketplaces and loitered about in alleys and other gatherings. Dressed up as a dirty bum on a corner of an alley aided him in not being noticed. It even earned him some useful pocket change on the side. His focus was aimed mostly on important looking men in suits and spent hours listening in on the conversations.

As vague the chats went Grin learned much from it. People of there had no problem keeping quiet with their plans and happenings, their troubles and gossips; and at the sidelines of every discussion, Grin would hear it all.

Amongst the shadows of Roanapur, Grin learned of countless factions that scratch for power and profit in the city. With their own little empires, these international criminals and organizations take profit with most of the businesses in the city both legal and illegal.

Death was a common occurrence in the city as these factions or low-level scum vie to survive in the barren streets. Poverty was also rampant. Beggars littered the streets and pickpockets' bite at every corner and were as common as cockroaches. One pickpocket dared to steel from Grin at one turn.

Grin returned the favor in kind by catching the brat and broke her arm. The little tyke cried over her shattered limb and ran with her tail between her legs. By then, no other thief dared to steal from him.

"Poor souls. The lot of them."

With a crappy police force added to the mix, Grin wondered what kept the entire place standing after all that time. The discovery of the 4 gods of Roanapur answered the question. They were the pillars that kept order amidst the chaos.

It was made up of: The Hong Kong Triads led by a Mr. Chang, The Italian Mafia led by Ronnie "The Jaws", The Colombian Cartel led by Abrego and Hotel Moscow led by Balalaika.

A lot of rumors circulated the streets regarding them. Some were laughable at most and some were almost impossible to believe. Whatever tale was told of them one thing was certain, they were the biggest players of the city.

Akin to gods, they had the authority and power to crush anything or anyone who would dare oppose them. That fact alone kept the population of killers, psychos and thieves in line. Though there are always some who would risk overcoming the system.

Grin heard of other stories apart from the mobs. Tales of certain characters and unbelievable events that does not occur normally in the city was a commonly said story.

Some of the infamous names he came across to was the one they called "Two Hands" and her trigger happy frenzy, the mysterious being known by many as "The Maid" who caused some havoc a few months back and other colorful killers and miscreants who litter the underworld.

The only person different from the others was the man they call "Rock". That man was considered as fresh fish from a clean pond apparently. Despite the oddity though, Grin didn't pay attention to that subject much.

_I'd fit well right in. _Grin thought. He almost felt at home in the dark city of death. He felt welcomed with open arms amongst the criminals and killers who were just like him.

Learning enough to last a while in the city, Grin abandoned his façade and searched for a place to stay in for the night.

Grin found himself a cheap hotel to stay in. It was an old establishment with its ripped wallpaper and leaky floors. It wasn't his first choice of a hotel but since he was low on money, it was the only one he could afford at the moment.

"Welcome to the _Do la _Inn where your something is something something." A middle-aged lobbyist announced with a bored tone. She sat behind the glass booth her eyes glued to the newspaper all the while chewing gum. The lobbyist ended her sentences with an annoying pop. "The rooms are 700 _Baht."_

"Please leave your money on the plate and grab your key. Enjoy your stay sir or ma'am." She pointed at the key rack behind her in the booth.

Grin sheepishly reached into the booth and grabbed a random key. He paused for a moment and simply stood in front of the lobbyist. There was something about the woman that earned his ire. She was quite bad at her job. She didn't make the crappy place any warmer and didn't even raise her eyes to look at him even once.

If the building were to burn down or if he was bashing the woman's head onto the glass, Grin could guess that she wouldn't even notice. She would probably still be popping that stupid gum of hers in hell for all he cared. As appealing as that sounded, Grin restrained himself from fulfilling that fantasy. Grin grabbed his bag from the dirt packed floor and made his way up to his room.

The room was almost as bad as the rest of the building. The place had leaking water from the ceiling, the wallpapers were faded and torn, dried blood stained the corner and he had noisy neighbors fucking next door. As terrible as the lodgings were however, he considered himself lucky to have a place that has a bed and a roof above his head for the night.

Tired from the strenuous activities without rest for almost 2 days, Grin thought it best to get some shut-eye. Dropping his bag on the corner and his weapons on the bedside table, Grin jumped head first into the bed.

The bed was a tad lumpy with a few springs missing but was comfortable enough. Grin wasn't the type for grandeur anyway. In fact, he would prefer something crappy to something so lavish. Over-the-top lodgings would only make him soft, comfortable and vulnerable. For a man of his status and history, that would be a vital weakness.

The echoing of hissing breath filled the room as Grin slowly falls to slumber.

Grin was thankful getting a dreamless sleep. He had killed so many all his life that their faces appear in the dark whenever he closes his eye.

Their ghosts appear and reminded him of all that he had done to them. They would hound him as he slept and spoke of their last requests and regrets.

Try as he might to shut them out, they are always there with their half dead eyes. They are all nothing to him, as much as everything else there was in his sad life. Let them visit him in the dark he couldn't care less. But that never stopped them for being there, much to Grin's displeasure.

He woke up suddenly a few hours or so later abruptly. His hands and body started to shake slightly uncontrollably. Cramps and muscle spasms jolted into his body like electricity.

His body was moving by a will of his own and was crushing him from the inside. Pain was the only sensation he could sense. It was all agony and excruciating. Sweat beaded from his skin.

Grin took a few deep breaths and noticed something was amiss. Somehow the air was a bit different. It smelled different and unfamiliar. His mask was out of gas. Grin forced his way up and hobbled towards his bag across the room.

Each step shared its own share of pain. His legs began cramping and he fell to the floor. Struggling to a crawl, he finally reached his bag after what felt like an eternity. Shuffled through its contents he found himself a small spare gas container.

Frantically reloading his gasmask, he hastily breathed in up until the pain was washed away. It took a few seconds of breathing before Grin felt like himself again. He was in control.

Grin berated himself for being so careless. He was fortunate that he was in a safe situation for that to occur. Cursing under his breath, he looked into the empty can of gas and threw it outside the window.

The gas was a mixture of various painkillers and anesthetics that he makes himself. Being a killer for hire is a dangerous trade with wounds and injuries were commonly received. The gas helped keep the pain at bay, an increase in endurance and gave him the ability not to feel pain though at great cost lest he succumb to the pain dealt by his wounds.

The gas eliminates the sensation of pain and the sense of touch but also does not eliminate it. If Grin's hand would be burning and Grin would only notice when something started smelling like burning flesh.

Pain kept the body alive and tells it of its limits. Without it, the risk of dying increases especially since Grin had the penchant of overdoing things.

He also is forced to keep a regular dose of the gas. If not, his wounds would start acting up and would incapacitate Grin due to the strain. It was a drug that he is addicted to and a lifeline that kept him alive. Grin hated being so dependent on something so desperately.

After feeling like himself again, Grin made his way to the shower. It was fortunate for him to have running water. Taking everything off except for his mask, he stepped into the freezing shower. Standing there under the stream Grin fell silent and meditated.

It helped. Both the gas and the shower have. Refreshed and renewed, Grin felt satisfied. Passing by a mirror, Grin looked at himself in the flesh. There was not much to see nor to bask on as it was just a grotesque patchwork of flesh and scars.

Even Grin is disgusted by what he saw. Every scar had a story and he recalled it all as he traced his fingers on them. Painful memories that haunt him and imbedded their stories on him.

Changing to fresh new clothes, Grin looked around the room for something to do. The room itself had hardly any furniture apart from a cabinet on the corner, a bed and a table next to it. Grin looked inside the table's drawer and was surprised to find something of interest.

Inside was a large revolver pistol and some spare rounds scattered about with it. Grin guessed that the previous owner wouldn't mind him taking it for himself. The owner probably won't come back for it. Grin figured that the bloodstain on the side of the wall was probably him.

He was no _Clint_ _Eastwood_ but he could tell that the gun was a .44 Magnum Revolver. It was a work of art and a truly powerful gun that would make _Dirty Harry _proud. Grin was fortunate to find it still in good condition. With a well aimed shot, he could pop heads like R. Lee Erney's watermelons.

Peering inside, Grin found it empty. Taking 3 bullets, he placed it in random cartridges. Spinning the cartridge case like a badass, Grin pointed it to himself and pulled the trigger.

**CLICK!**

"Damn." said Grin, a tad disappointed. He could always try tomorrow.

Grin took with him his Bowie knife and strapped around his belt. The .44 Magnum was loaded in full and placed the spare rounds in his pocket. The need for sleep was gone. He needed some air.

Retracing his steps through the narrow halls and down to the lobby he felt something amiss. Peering by the wall that overlooked the lobby, he found three men standing by the entrance of the hotel.

The men wore good fitting suits and armed by the looks of the bumps in their suits. They also looked reasonably fit by their thick necks and the way they carried themselves.

Grin didn't know who they are or from what organization, but they are a potential threat. There isn't that many nor important guests in the hotel as Grin checked that out earlier.

Grin deduced that the men are specialists and most likely are looking for him. Who else would send well-outfitted professionals for a small time crook in the city? Grin decided to meet them head on and think of the consequences later. He guessed that he could probably take them out if he needs to.

The only thing that was bugging Grin was on how they managed to find him in short time. He thought about it a while as he made his way down the stairs. He tried to recall every move he made that day, trying to find a simple mistake he made. A pop soon broke his concentration. That lobby girl isn't as clueless as he expected.

"Ah, Mr. Grin. We were just on our way to see you." The lead man said with a thick Russian accent.

Grin saw that the men around him showed no sign of fear or anxiety as compared to how most react to him. They professionals indeed as Grin could not deduce their emotions or intentions.

"It was just as lucky for us to find you ready to leave. Please come with us if you will." The man continued pointing to the car parked outside.

Grin refused the man's greeting with utter silence. His breathing was the only voice heard in the awkward stillness. Taking a moment to look at the men standing in front of him, Grin weighed his options.

Grin walked to what seemed to be the leader of the men. His eye pointed straight at the man and didn't care to blink as he gave a nod. The men showed slight signs of relief by the time Grin made his way out. He gave himself a small smile and was satisfied that they know what he was capable of by presence alone and looked at him with fear.

"We are on our way to HQ Kapitan with the package in tow." The man called in his phone.

"…"

"Yes Kapitan. Thank you. We will be there in a bit."

The road was quiet after that. Grin said not a word the entire trip and neither did the men surrounding him. It was an awkward silence throughout the trip. Grin was confident that all would be made clear when he arrived to their destination. He spent the rest of the trip wondering what kind of person this Kapitan Balalaika would be?

Grin and his escorts soon arrived to their destination, a large red skyscraper in the far side of town with the logo of the local _Bougainvillea Trading Company_; a cover for the infamous Hotel Moscow. Before Grin could see more of the building a security team eyed him with prejudice greeted him.

"With all due respect sir, but would you kindly leave your weapons here?"

Grin was forced to comply begrudgingly and surrendered to them his knife and gun. As skillful as Grin was without those weapons, losing them increased his chances of waking up in a ditch somewhere. However, they wouldn't bring him all the way here in such style to just kill him though. That gave him slight comfort. Slight.

Grin was also asked to empty pockets and place it on a tray provided for an ex-ray check up and go through a metal detector. He deposited his wallet, passport, ammunition, a pocket notebook and a coin purse. The place reminded Grin of a bloody airport. He hated those check ups as much as he hated flying.

"Excuse me sir, but would you please remove all metallic devices, gadgets and other items." The security guard said after the alarms for the metal detector went off.

_This would take a while._ Grin thought a tad annoyed as he dug into his pockets.

The room was covered with the scent of smoke and ash the moment the doors opened. Though it did not trouble him in breathing, it did block some of his vision as he made his way inside.

As soon as the smoke cleared came to view a scarred blonde woman sat in one end of the table with a cigar in her hand. She was Hotel Moscow's Balalaika. It was a fitting name for a lovely but dangerous woman. Next to her was a large similarly scarred man on a corner. If Grin would guess, that person must be her right hand man Boris.

The woman was beautiful despite the scars that etched itself all over her face even by Grin's standards. The streets weren't exaggerated when they called her by the moniker of "Fry-face". The fact that they also call her that in a hushed tone proved how this woman wasn't a push over.

Grin recounted the woman's reputation of being a veteran and a war hero. From that to a mob boss only proves her formidability for the position. This woman would be capable of kicking Grin's ass herself if given a chance.

"Please have a seat Mr. Reaper." The woman said with a puff of smoke. "Quite an entrance you brought in yesterday. You have personally caught my full attention."

"Am well aware." Grin replied with a nod. "Else you wont bring me here. In style. Surprised at how you found me. Good spies."

"Thank you. I pride myself to have a good set of eyes in the gutters." Balalaika gave a smug smile. "I am quite pleased to have found you in short notice especially in these dire times. It isn't easy being a mob boss in this kind of environment, you know."

"Hmmm."

Grin thought his words well. Being in the lion's den without any means of escape increased his chances for getting the boot. Grin observed the woman in front of him. She was manipulative and calculating and is apparently looking for a possible weakness in him. The type to exploit as so many had tried before.

"My word!" Balalaika exclaimed cynically. "We haven't been properly introduced now haven't we? How rude of me. They call me here as Balalaika and remember it well since I could be your best friend or worst enemy. Believe me when I say that this town won't be looking down on any stranger."

"Am not here for pleasantries. Madam." Grin blankly interrupted. He wasn't going to let play under her tune. He knows that this was no ordinary small talk. It was a risky game of life and death. "Let's get to business."

"Perceptive one aren't you? Very well." Balalaika said. She was beginning to like this man. "I am in need of someone with your special expertise. The type that could silence any busy bee that tries leaving the hive."

"I'm listening." Grin growled.

"There is a traitor in our midst here in Hotel Moscow. "Balalaika spoke in an indifferent tone. The one you would hear from a military briefing. "He is embezzling funds and stealing contrabands from our own warehouses and selling them off on the side. I want him and whoever else he is dealing with stopped and made an example of."

"That's it?" Grin asked incredulity. "Take out a thief? Rather have a challenge. Give this to your errand boys. You are Spetsnaz. Are you?"

Grin made the last point looking at Boris. He must have popped a chord on the man as he heard a faint grown coming from him. Looking back at Balalaika, Grin was taken aback when she started laughing for some reason. It unnerved him a little.

"You have quite some balls saying that Reaper. And more so that you say that to me." Balalaika exclaimed with a breath of smoke. "Your reputation indeed says much about you."

"And that is?" Grin asked.

"That you would face death in the face and spit on her without qualm." Balalaika said coldly. Her eyes then changed to a darker tone. "I would shoot you right now if I could but I happen to need someone of your skills in this job. As much as I would like to make this personal, my hands are tied and cannot make any move that might risk my organization. This is due to the man being a Spetsnaz himself."

"And that is where YOU come in." Balalaika continued. She noticed the interest that glint in Grin's eye "I want you to hunt down this traitor. $85,000 – Dead or $145,000 – alive so I could teach him some manners. Only the people inside this room know this information and we would prefer to keep it that way. Do I make myself clear?"

Grin understood. A man from the inside would know how Hotel Moscow would operate and could counter any move they play against them. The anonymity of the man makes him dangerous. They also need to keep this quiet so that it won't leak out to the other factions and use it to their own advantage. This person is also ex-Spetsnaz so he would be difficult to catch and take down. Exciting.

"I accept." Grin replied without hesitation. "See him in a week."

"I will hold you to that and I hope that your confidence would prove you wise. If you fail to accomplish this mission however, hope that you die by this traitor's hand than face mine." Said Balalaika, her eyes grew large and mad with a sinister smile to match her cold icy breath.

"I won't." Grin growled. He knew the risks and he was confident of his own abilities. The woman does not scare him either. It wasn't his first rodeo with the devil.

"Before you leave however, might I ask you a question?" Balalaika called out as Grin was making his way out the door. Grin stopped to turn and replied to her with a curt nod.

"Yes, I was led to believe that you had a both limbs intact but here I see you only with your right arm. Was there a recent accident or do my contacts need a new set of eyes?" the blonde woman asked curiously.

Grin calmly faced the Russian and removed his leather jacket and showed her his empty and limbless left forearm. It was an old wound he received from long ago. The skin at the elbow was already closed the stump shut with only a cross-shaped welt to show where his front limb was.

"The rest is downstairs." Grin replied nonchalantly as he wore his jacket again to hide his disfigurement. "Anything else?"

"None at all Mr. Reaper. You are dismissed."

"He is an odd one, that man." Said Boris, who spoke as soon as Grin left the premises.

"He says few but his actions says more. I don't like him"

"You hardly like anyone, _Sargent."_ Balalaika replied as she lit herself a cigar._ "_I on the other had, am starting to get fond of him. A very interesting character, that man."

"Only the ones I don't know much of, _Kapitan_." Boris replied with a small smile. His face quickly turned serious as he continued. "The Reaper is an unpredictable man. Someone we cannot control so easily. He is also known to be an opportunist who would turn on a contract and his clients if another would suit him better. Are you sure you want to give THAT man a dangerous task such as this?"

"Yes." Balalaika said casually. Boris kept silent and waited for Balalaika's explanation as she lit herself another smoke. "A fickle man, this Reaper would be, but he is not without a small sense of honor. A VERY small sense of honor at best. No, I don't believe he would turn on us. Not even if someone would give him a better deal."

"How would you know that, _Kapitan_?" Boris was still not convinced. "We have only met that man just now."

"You're getting old Boris. You're beginning to lose your edge." Balalaika answered. "It only took me a second to see what that man was. The look on that person's eye was all too obvious."

"And that is?"

"He's a man just like us, _Sargent_." Balalaika answered with pride. "A soldier looking for an honorable death in the highest point. This oh so difficult task we're giving him would just be too good for him to resist. Betraying us is the least of his options. He will do us well."

"There is but one thing that bothered me about him, _Sargant._" Balalaika said in a serious tone.

"What would that be, _Kapitan_?"

"During our meeting when the two of you traded faces, I saw a glint in his eye. Almost as if he discovered something about us." Balalaika blew a stream of smoke. "The man appears to be smarter than I expected to find something so small and brief during a quick exchange. Lets treat that man in caution, he's still a threat and could disturb the balance of this city."

"Yes, _Kapitan_."


	4. Unleashed

How much longer are we going to wait in this fog Mikael?" Danilov asked. He lit himself another cigarette and held tight on his coat.

It was a usual thing in Roanapur to be misty and cold in the night as compared to the scorching heat of day. Though the inner confines of the city remain lighted and lively, the docks remain dark and foggy. This makes the transfer of contraband and goods much easier for smugglers.

"_Terpeniye Comrade. Terpeniye. _It will arrive soon. The Lagoon Company is just having difficulty because of the tide." Mikael replied as he took another draught of moonshine from his bottle. They were waiting for over an hour past deadline now. Any more time spent would close the window of opportunity that they had before someone will come sniffing.

"It better be. We can't afford to have any delays right now."

"You in a hurry for something Danilov?" Mikael asked with a raised eyebrow.

"What? No. Not at all. I just can't stand the cold is all."

"Ha! Some Russian you are. Not standing this 'cold'. This is just summer cold as compared to Georgia." Mikael jested and tossed a bottle of moonshine to his shivering friend. "Here. Have a whiff of this. Made it myself"

"_Spasibo Comrade. _I could use a drink." Danilov replied grateful at the gesture.

He didn't blame his friend much though, something HAS been shivering up their spine but it wasn't the cold. Something's up but he just can't put his finger on it. As old as he is, he still hasn't lost his edge.

Before he could say more about the subject a ship soon came to view out of a fog. It was an old PT boat. The Lagoon Company has arrived. Though Mikael thinks of it as a piece of junk from another era, it was still a viable escape vehicle. The Lagoon Company's track record on satisfaction still lies unchallenged by similar competitors in the city.

"About time you've come." Danilov called out as soon as the ship docked. "My ass was freezing back here."

"Calm down Ruski. Just had a run in with some cops but we made it through." Dutch replied.

The large black man hauled off 2 large crates with his arm. He placed one of the crates in front of the men for inspection. Mikael took a crowbar and opened it. Inside was one of the many caches of AK-74 rifles. They were unused, fresh from the factories and ready for combat use.

"Everything looks to be in good order. I trust you enough for the rest." Mikael assured. He made a gesture to Danilov to open the trunk and had him begin stocking the crates in it. "Help us load them in the truck then we will give you the your pay."

"Fine by me."

"Hey Revy, you've been kinda on edge lately. What's the matter?" Rock asked as he is picking up another crate. He noticed that Revy was awfully quiet the moment they docked. She hasn't cursed nor swore to anyone, which made him worry for his friend.

"Yea Revy you haven't cursed or say anything at since we sighted the city." Benny added. It was odd for both men to notice the lack of the usual explosive swearing of the one called "Two Hands". If they were to be honest, it sort off unsettled them since she wasn't cursing.

"Just got this feeling that's all. Don't you smell it in the air." Revy answered.

Her eyes sharpened and her hands were slightly shaking. Not of fear but of unease and a bit of excitement. She was on the verge of being a time bomb that's close to the mark. Ready to explode at any time.

"There's the stink of Death and Gunpowder prowling around the place." Revy said. She already took out one of her Cutlasses. "Just got stronger when we docked in."

"You mean like an ambush?" Rock asked in a hushed voice. His eyes grew wide and looked at his surroundings waiting for any signs of movement. So far he saw none. The only people in the area were them and the 2 Russians. "You think it's coming from them?"

"No. Sis wouldn't break a deal this simple. This is definitely something else. Coming from somewhere else."

Revy drew her guns and surveyed the area. She felt as though she felt this feeling before. The last time she felt this intensity was when the large boat crashed itself in the nearby docks a few days past. Revy could have only guessed that the person who caused that entire ruckus was back and he was nearby.

"Something big is up here, Rock." She went on. "The smell's so tense that it's already choking." Everyone paused and took a moment to keep an eye out as well for any signs of trouble, the Russians included.

Nothing happened. Everyone continued the transfer of material though at unease and with caution. The Lagoon Company received the payment they were due and went on their way home. Mikael and Danilov made their way back to one of Hotel Moscow's warehouses to drop off the goods for next morning.

"What a killjoy huh Dani?" Mikael said as they were locking up the warehouse with the truck inside. "I sure could have used some practice tonight. My shooting is starting to lose its touch you know?"

"Thank god that there wasn't though. It was so hard to see in this damned fog."

"Yeah. You could have shot yourself by accident hahaha!"

"Fuck you Ukrainian. Do you think that chick from the Lagoon was right? That someone was watching us?"

"That girl is psychotic. Too much liquor in the head and not much down her pants. She's crazy. There's nothing happening tonight. Now pack up and I'll see you at the barracks. I gotta go out for a smoke. I'll walk on the way back."

"Sure thing. Peace out Mikael."

And with that, Mikael was alone. It didn't take long before the lastthe embers died down. A car soon appeared just across the street 3 blocks away. The car blinked its headlights twice while Mikael smoked another. After looking at the opposite street and around the corner for any passerby's, Mikael threw his cigarette away while waving his hand about.

"Coast is clear, boys. Let's get to work."

The old busted up truck approached and parked just in front of the old warehouse. 4 men disembarked and approached the lone Russian with tense expressions. Street thugs they may be but they are well-armed street thugs. The chances of them double crossing Mikael were high but their goals were the same so they were willing to let the thought pass. Even if they did try to double cross him, Michael was confident that he could take them out.

"The goods are there?" the lead thug asked. His hand brandishing an old rusted Taurus pistol and scratched his head with it to intimidate the Russian.

"Yea. Keys are right here" He tossed them at one of the thugs and made way for him to pass. "Now do it fast. The night shift will pass by soon. Same as last time."

The doors of the warehouse soon opened and Mikael and 3 of the men went inside. The 4th man stayed outside as lookout.

"So what, the deal with you working for our crew?" The head thug asked. "Old fry face doesn't pay you boys that much?"

"It has nothing to do with that." Mikael quickly snapped and glared at the thug with dark eyes.

He felt insulted at the accusation. Balalaika was his leader and savior in their battles in Afghanistan. Ever since the fall of the USSR, that woman kept her men together and forged a new path that led them to Roanapur. Mikael and the rest dedicated their entire lives in serving her. There was nothing that they would do to betray that trust.

"So what's your story, then?" The thug asked again.

I killed my _Comrade_." Mikael didn't want to talk about his issues, especially not to the likes of these rats.

Like all mortal men, each had their vices and indulgent sins. In Mikael Dobrechev's case, it was with drinking.

There was one such night where Mikael was in his drunken stupor that he got into a petty argument with his partner. Words turned to fists and Mikael drew his gun and shot his friend dead in the streets.

It was fortunate for Mikael that there were no witnesses. Unfortunately for him, he just killed a comrade in arms. Killing one of your own, accidentally or otherwise, is punishable by death or in Balalaika's terms, by firing squad.

Denying such an end, Mikael tried getting rid of the body. He knew that he couldn't turn to the Cleaners since they have connections with the Pillars.

Desperate, Mikael sent the body to a smuggler group he knew and dumped the body in the sea. To his disfavor, he is now forced to work with the same group in double-crossing Hotel Moscow. His knowledge of how they work did wonders for the thieves and were never caught since. That is, until this very night.

"Now get back to work. I wasn't hired to chat with the likes of you." Mikael ordered.

"Whatever you say, _Comrade._" He replied with a mocking salute.

They approached the supply truck and forced the door open to the cargo hold. The doors squealed open. The noise echoed throughout the dark warehouse.

As the one of the men went inside to carry off the crates, the rest were surprised when thud was heard. The man they sent in flew out of the cargo hold and crashed into empty crates. The rest looked in astonishment as a masked figure stand above them from inside the truck.

"Hell, it's about time." The masked man spoke from within the shadows. It had a deep and disoriented voice, one that would bring terror in the hearts of amateurs.

The startled faces of the men gave the masked man enough time to jump off from the truck. He fell onto the Head Thug and crushed his face with his bare hands and finished him off with his revolver. The others ran to cover immediately before the masked man fired again and fired back.

"What the FUCK is goin on here?" the thug from outside entered. His entrance was greeted by Grin with a knife throw to the throat. The throw was so hard; it impaled the thug by a wall and left him gurgling blood.

Mikael decided to take control of the situation seeing as the current head of the operation was missing a few pieces. He deduced that the man had the advantage of the situation. Though numbers are on their side, they were undisciplined and panicked. They had no chance of winning the engagement.

"Follow me and MOVE!" Mikael shouted at the nearest thug. "We gotta get the fuck out of here!"

Mikael decided that a sound retreat was due if they were to survive this engagement. Firing a few rounds at the masked man, he managed to make enough of a ruckus for the rest of his men to move.

The men ran off out of the warehouse, firing as they did. The masked man walked forward at a brisk pace whilst firing off a few rounds. Some bullets grazed him and punched through his jacket yet he maintained his cool. With a single shot, one of the men fell to the ground. Another made its way through a wall and into the thug's back. The man fell in agony and cried for help

"C'mon!" Mikael shouted to the last thug. "We are leaving!"

They stopped to a pause as they watched helplessly as the crying man had his face blown off by the masked man. The last thug thought otherwise and went beserk. The goon dropped his gun to the floor and charged the masked figure head on with a large piece of 2x4.

"What a fucking idiot." Mikael cursed as he jumped into the truck outside. It was fortunate that the keys were still inside.

Grin thought the same as he saw the oversized gorilla come at him. The buffoon charged in fear than fury, shouting and cursing as he went. He swung the piece of wood hard at Grin who remained standing idle. It then shattered to pieces when Grin blocked it with his metal arm.

Pieces flew onto the air. Grin caught one and imbedded it straight into the man's eye. The thug fell to the ground and screamed his lungs out. Grin silenced him permanently with a heavy boot to the face.

The moment Mikael saw the thug's head explode he struggled to start the car. The engine continued to sputter as the masked figure began walking towards him. Frantically starting the car, he saw the man emptying his revolver's spent shells and reloading. The second the masked man raised the gun to shoot the car turned to life and he drove away.

"Holy shit…." Mikael panted heavily. He had no clue who the fuck that was and what he was doing there in the first place but he was glad to get away.

Looking behind him, he saw that the figure instead walking away back to the warehouse. He sighed in relief knowing that he was finally safe. All he had to worry about now is what he's going to tell his partners about the lack of stolen goods.

Grin watched as the Russian speedily drove away before walking back to the warehouse. He was quite glad that he managed to get away. It saved him the trouble of capturing and having the Russian lead him to where the rest his crew were.

Even for Grin, it would still be dangerous to have a Spetsnaz in chains. At least in this case, he could have both the goods and the Russian in one go. All he needed now was the location. Fortunately for him one of the goons was left unconscious inside the warehouse. A gentle nudge, and all his questions will get answered.

The man was still unconscious on the floor on the same spot where he left him. His nose was broken and bled profusely on the floor. Grin tried shaking the guy awake but he wouldn't budge. The man was too knocked out. Grin then tried plan B and shot the man's ear off.

**BANG!**

"AAHHHHHRRGGHHHHH!" The man yelled. Grin stepped hard at the man's chest to stop him from rolling away.

"Where are the goods?" Grin asked calmly.

"F..F..Fuck you!" The man spat. In response, Grin shot at the man's left knee joint. The thug bellowed in pain as the bullet blew his leg apart. The rest tore off with only pieces of skin holding it together.

"Where is the Russian hiding?" Grin asked, unsympathetic to the man's suffering.

"I..I…I don't-AAAAHHHHHHHHHH!" the man screamed once again as Grin shot off his knee with the same result as the previous one.

"You're losing a lot of blood. You have a few minutes." Grin said. He was beginning to lose his patience and was running out of time. "Tell me what I want to know."

"I don't…I don't remember-AAAAAAAHHHHHH!" Grin shot the man's arm off.

"The human body is an interesting specimen." Grin said. His voice spoke in a monotone of interest and curiosity. He saw the man as no more than meat to be examined. "What I'd do to see how you tick."

A piercing scream was emitted in the dark confines of the warehouse. The thug yelled his throat out as the Reaper stepped on his bullet-ridden arm. The already decimated limb was flattened under the sole of a heavy boot.

"Lost my patience. Let's jog your memory a little." Grin stomped on the thug's dangling arm harder. The blunt force tore off the wretched limb. "Remember."

"He's…he's in the…an apartment compound at...at the 35th street." The man struggled hard to find the words. The agony of his exposed wounds added an extra kick in his memory helping him remember. But it didn't keep him from dying. "P-p-please. Ju-just stop. Tha's all I know. Tha's all I-I-…."

"Thank you." Grin said as placed a coin under the corpse's tongue and closed the man's eye shut.

Alarmed voices were then heard and sounds of police sirens soon echoed about the streets. Grin dashed out the door, snatching his knife from the impaled corpse as he did. He made his way to the confines of the alleys and towards his appointment at 35th Street.

"What the fuck happened Mikael? And where are the rest of my men?" The Boss man stood aghast as Mikael entered the premises of their headquarters alone and bloodied.

"Dead." Mikael panted.

Walking to the nearby fridge and got himself a large beer. He refreshed himself with the alcohol before continuing his statement. "By some gas masked freak. He ambushed us killed everybody. Lucky I made it out alive."

"Without the goods? And with that motherfucker still alive, no less?" The Boss man was bemused at the Russian's account.

"And here I thought that you elites are supposed to be the best?" He said with a sneer.

"Don't insult me boy!" Mikael grabbed the Boss man by the collar. The men around them raised their weapons at the Russian but Mikael didn't mind. "Just because I owe you a debt doesn't mean I'd let you bite and drag me around like some fucking plush chew toy. Now shut the fuck up and give me a fucking break."

Mikael dropped the Boss man onto the floor and gave himself a long drink from another can before seating himself on the couch.

"You mentioned something about that guy wearing a gasmask," The Boss Man asked hesitantly. "What did it look like?"

"Why?" Mikael scoffed. "Does it matter?"

"Cuz rumors are going around saying that the Reaper is in town. Dunno the details or know what he looks like but they all say that he wears—"

"A skull faced gasmask." Both Mikael and the Boss Man said at the same time.

They looked at each other with fear on their eyes. Everyone in the room stayed quiet, unsure of what to do next.

"Where you followed?" The Boss man asked.

"No, I wasn't. Made sure of that myself." Mikael was confident but unsure. "But there might be a chance. Nonetheless we got to be ready."

Mikael stood from the couch and took out the cushions. Inside was a large trunk. Opening it, it revealed a cache of assorted weapons from submachine guns to an RPG.

"For what? There's no way in hell he could find us here." The Boss Man said as he watched Mikael distribute the weapons. "And even if he did, do you think we're just gonna sit around and let our asses get beat by one man?"

Before Mikael could answer, a roaring engine was heard from outside. Everyone in the room dashed to the windows and watched as they saw a truck bearing down at them.

"Fuck! He found us!" Mikael bellowed.

"Shoot it out to kingdom come, boys!" The Boss Man ordered.

The men then unleashed a barrage of lead at the vehicle. They shouted and cursed as they rained down bullets down the street.

Despite being turned to Swiss Cheese, the vehicle kept its pace. It did not bother to dodge the onslaught nor showed signs of slowing down. It was only when the glass windows of the vehicle shattered that Mikael seen the truck for what it was.

There was no driver. It was a ticking time bomb.

The bullets were not enough to stop the truck. Thinking fast, Mikael grabbed the nearby RPG and aimed its sights at the speeding bomb but it was too late. The vehicle has run through the last block and was about to smash into the garage area.

"Everybody get down!" He shouted at the last minute.

The explosion shattered every window and disintegrated every stone and every person within reach. The force of the blast knocked back everyone who wasn't tied down and shook the very foundation of the building.

White noise was all Mikael heard after the explosion. Ashes and embers floated about and the air was hot. Men and missing limbs soon entered his view amidst the smoke. He vaguely heard a crash from nearby and saw that a part of the building had fallen along with half of the gang.

Mikael did his best to find his footing but could not. His legs felt numb and his senses were in shock. The sound of thuds was soon heard. It was getting louder by the minute. Realizing that those were gunshots, Mikael got himself up with much effort.

Mikael reached for his pistol and checked the magazine for bullets. Full clip. His relief was cut short when the door behind him was kicked open. The weak walls and broken foundation sent it down with great force that it fell.

Looking towards the smoking portal, Mikael came face to face with the very same masked man from earlier. It looked at him curiously and adjusted its gloves. Tired and wounded, Mikael knew that this would probably be his last battle.

Mikael acted fast and shot at the man. The masked man jumped out of the way. The blast still had an effect on Mikael as white noise engulfed his ears. It made him lose some of his focus as he fired and gave enough room for the Reaper to find cover from behind the kitchen counter.

Reaching for the AK47 on the ground, Mikael fired a bombardment of automatic fire at the stall. The barrage managed to pin the Reaper down indefinitely as the bullets tore through the stones and marble. Finishing it off with a grenade blast from the gun's launcher, rubble and smoke filled the room.

A silhouette darted out at the corner of his eye. Mikael reacted and shot it down, ripping it to shreds. Another silhouette darted out from the other side and ran fast towards him. Mikael tried turning his gun around but it was too late.

Using the smoke as cover and a fat trash bag as a distraction, Grin accomplished with evening his odds on the playing field. Knowing that the Russian would shoot at the first thing that comes to his sights, Grin wittingly threw the trash bag to one direction while running to the opposite.

While the Russian was distracted, Grin managed to close in the distance between them and tackled him to the ground. Both men exchanged blows on the ground while the building burned around them. Neither of them cared about what happens, the only thing that mattered is their fight. Neither of the two were backing down.

With a kick, Mikael flew to the air and fell to the floor. Clasping his chest and dazed from the pain, he watched in disbelief as the Reaper stood from the ground unfazed and seemingly injured. It even took the liberty of patting out the dust off his coat before walking towards him.

_What the fuck is this guy made of? _Mikael thought in panting breaths. _He takes in punches that would knock a guy out for the count and doesn't even flinch. _

_No matter. _Mikael grabbed a broken pipe from the ground. _He ain't taking me alive!_

Mikael jumped and swung the metal pipe at the Reaper and hit him on the side. To his surprise, the man did not react when the pipe entrenched itself on his side. Blood seeped out of the wound.

The Reaper held him in place and punched him across the room. It felt like getting hit by a freight train despite blocking it with his arm. His lights were almost knocked and his arm felt heavily bruised with a few shattered bones.

Rolling quickly for dear life, Mikael barely dodged another heavy punch from the Reaper. The fist grazed him on the side of his head hit the wall behind him. It dug itself deep and appears to be stuck.

Taking advantage of the situation, Mikael threw a fury of blows and kept his opponent trapped and vulnerable. Grabbing onto the knife hand, Mikael made a submission hold on the Reaper and slammed him at the wall. A fury of knee kicks and elbow shots followed.

The Reaper made good counter attacks while being pinned down. Mikael suffered being elbowed and slammed backwards at the wrecked furniture of the room. He could hear his bones cracking at each crash. Despite the pain he still held firm and pulled harder into breaking the man's arm in two.

With a snap, Mikael had done his work. The Reaper's left arm was bent backwards from the joint in an awkward position. Combat efficiency was decreased and the pain would make him easy pickings for a counter attack. Mikael saw that his victory was in the bag.

As Mikael looked down on his injured enemy, he began to realize 3 things as he took a closer look: 1) He noticed that the Reaper did not make a sound, as his arm was broken. 2) The Reaper's arm felt very hard. Almost as though it was of steel. And 3) The Reaper just turned his head to him and gazed at him with a red eye.

The Reaper spun his body around and caught Mikael in the head. His large hand held him tightly on the face and slammed him to the wall before hitting the glass window. Sounds of shattering glass erupted as the Reaper ran Mikael down the window aisle. A thousand pinpricks of shrapnel embedded itself onto Mikael's face and cut up his face bloody and disoriented.

Everything looked red after that. Mikael simply recalled being lifted up into the air and stared at the Reaper's eye. He saw death in those eyes. His own. Try as he might to avoid it, he gave up on trying. He gave in and did not struggle for his end.

"What…are you?" the man struggled to cough out.

"Disappointed." The Reaper said in a gruff voice before dropping him onto the floor. "Appreciate the effort though."

Mikael saw the Reaper disappear behind the door and away from his view. When he returned, Mikael saw that The Reaper carried a long cord and tied it around his neck.

The last thing Mikael remembered was the Reaper placing something in his mouth before being carried to the air again. He remembered flying into the moonlit sky. He felt the wind on his face and breathed his last before stopping short and floated just above the gravel pavement floor.

Black cars filled the streets and surrounding the area as soon as Grin made his may outside. Hotel Moscow finally arrived in the scene.

Balalaika exited her vehicle and paused to see the work that the Reaper had done. She paused for a moment and looked at the hanging corpse with expressionless eyes. She gave orders to the men and sent them scrambling all over the block.

"I must admit Reaper, I'm impressed." said Balalaika as she approached freelancer. "You proved your promise well and delivered results above the deadline. You didn't have a hard time now did you?"

"Not beyond the ordinary." Grin said as he fixed his arm back in place. "You trained him well."

"Yes. Trained him myself after all." Balalaika said with a sad expression. "I'm quite upset to see that it turned out to be him. Of all people that I thought I could trust. I couldn't believe that it would be one of my _Comrades._"

"Don't blame yourself." Grin stood next to Balalaika and looked at the destruction that he brought. "Human nature is imperfect. Desires. Self Preservation. We all end up disappointing someone. There's no changing that."

"True enough. We are cruel bastards aren't we, Reaper. But not even he deserve being hung like some wet laundry." Balalaika turned to Boris and gave him an order. "Take Corporal Dobrechev down from there and bring him back to headquarters. Traitor or not, the man is still one of us. He deserves a proper funeral."

"Yes, _Kapitan_." Boris saluted and went his way.

"And as for you," Balalaika turned to Grin. "I cannot thank you enough for this service. You proved yourself well. Your reward will be in your account as arranged. Expect us to give you a call when something more _challenging _pops up." 

"I'd be happy to oblige, _Kapitan_." Grin gave a mock salute.

He watched as the scarred woman entered into on of the black cars and departed. As the lights died down and drove away, Grin was left in the confines of the dark city. Alone.


	5. Church Visit

It was a quiet night in the Yellow Flag. Bao noticed that as he cleaned his bottles absentmindedly. The patrons were all in their own animated conversations in their own little groups.

There was an unsettling peace in the air of the bar. Not a gun was upholstered and no one was too drunk to do anything stupid that would result with Bao cleaning something up afterwards or worse, rebuild.

Despite the relaxing harmony Bao was having, it actually made him feel a tad uneasy. He was no fan of the contrary, but if memory serves, a long peace would have an even bigger trouble. It appears as though that day has come after the bar's double doors opened and revealed a devious man in a mask.

The quiet tranquility that Bao prayed would never end has come to a shattering halt. The rest of the bar did the same as everyone stopped their activities and eyed the new patron. Bao saw the tension and the fear in his patrons' eyes as they watched in silence as the man made his way to the front bar.

The Reaper did not spare a single glance at any of the patrons. The patrons themselves were already fiddling their guns and were vigilant as the man passed by. The only sound amidst the stillness was the distorted breathing coming from the Reaper.

Bao's hands slowly reached in for his shotgun that he kept hidden under the counter. He sensed danger coming from this stranger and he isn't willing to back down so easily.

"Bartender. Whiskey. The strongest you got." The Reaper called out. "Leave the bottle."

Grin seated himself by the bar in front of Bao. The bartender gave out a sigh in relief and felt as though something heavy was lifted off his shoulders. Bao half expected that the Reaper was about to start trouble. Despite that however, he gave the stranger his order, glass and all. A killer he may be, but who isn't in this city?

"Any clue how you would drink that buddy?" Bao asked.

It took him a second to realize how stupid that decision was. Bao didn't expect himself to start a conversation with the man. The adrenaline from the fear must have given his mouth a push without thinking. A part of himself was just a tad curious to see what the man had hidden behind the mask.

The Reaper said nothing. He simply showed the bartender by unscrewing the filter on the side of his mask. It unleashed a faint hiss of unfamiliar gas. He then proceeded to gulp down the half bottle in one go and placed it back at the table. An unceremonious burp came soon after with no signs of being smashed.

_Damn. The son of a bitch can hold his liquor_

"Ain't it kinda early to be getting drunk in the middle of the afternoon?" Bao asked. He gave the man the Texan Grade A whiskey that would power a jet engine and smoke through wood._._

"Rough night." Grin replied.

"You that Reaper guy they've been talking about right?"

" What gave me away?"

"Do you need to ask?" Bao answered rhetorically as he pointed to his face. "You also scared half of the so called badasses that usually hang in my bar so I'm guessing that you're the real deal. I do appreciate you shutting them up though. They cause quite a ruckus after a few rounds of shots."

"Badasses huh?" Grin turned to Bao. "Want me to take care of them."

_Holy shit, this guy is serious_. Bao considered._ I wonder… nah! Not worth the trouble. _

"No need for that, pal. They aren't causing any trouble now and that's good enough for me."

"Your loss."

"Is that so? Still hadn't had enough after your shindig at 35th street? It's quite a scene, really." Bao said. "It really spooked a lot of the thugs around these parts after seeing that carnage. You must have been paid a lot for it huh?"

"Yup. And this is how I indulge." Grin drank his fill of the burning whiskey. "Another."

"Oooh. Tough break, son. That's the last one I've got."

"Get me a beer."

As Grin drank his fill with the booze, his thoughts ran through his previous job. As fun as it was hunting down those deadbeats, it did not entirely fulfill Grin's desire of a good fight.

Lack of fulfillment did not mean a lack of injuries for him however. Grin bought himself an ample supply of medical equipment before shutting himself in the confines of a new flat.

The flat was a newer and cleaner building than the one before. He also made sure that it was in neutral territory where no spies lurking about. Grin also paid off informants and fed false information to brokers as to hide his trail. Discretion has always been a sure defense.

As good as he was with a knife, it made him even better with a needle and forceps as he expertly patched himself together. The bruises just needed ice and time but the bullets and shrapnel needed special attention. Grin spent the next few days recuperating in his apartment after pulling them all out.

As Grin lay down, a thought bothered him and denied him of any sleep. His faceoff with the Spetsnaz fellow gave him false hope and disappointment. He overestimated the man's skill and expected too much since they were considered as one of the best. The man DID get a few clean hits but he didn't fight like his life depended on it. That's what got him killed. No survival instinct.

"Hey bartender." Grin called as he let down his drink and reattached his mask's filter. "Know any place I can buy guns?"

_This must be the place. _Grin thought as he disembarked from the Tuk-tuk. The sun beat its hot rays above his head and beads of sweat formed under his brow. His metal arm was getting hot and was close to burning his skin.

_Hope that they have good air conditioning here._ Grin thought as he approached the church.

The Church had a Spanish Caribbean style build with tan colored stones and large wooden posts. It had a blessed feel to it with its location on top of a hill and looked all so peaceful at first glance. Grin however wasn't convinced.

A godless place like Roanapur has no need for salvation nor a church in its tenure. He immediately saw it as just a front for an organization's illegal activities. Smaller shacks littered the back part of the church. They were large enough to store something as small as a bundle of drugs or as large as a cache of guns.

The Church of Violence, or as it is more aptly named by folks around as the 'Rip-off Church', has been known to provide the best quality weapons, fresh from the smuggling train. Some folks even say that they sell drugs on the side as well. Either way, if Grin plans to stay in the city for long he would need some serious firepower.

"Hello! Die! Hello!" a parrot nearby called out. "I'll fucking kill you ya hear! Hello!"

_So this place is no different huh?_ Grin thought.

Grin could only imagine the colorful characters that do business here. Coming from the parrot's cries, he could guess that the workers here are no pushovers. His thoughts proved true when he was given a rude welcome after a long wait and repetitive knocking.

The doors creaked slightly opened and was 'greeted' vulgarly by a blonde nun wearing ugly pink sunglasses. By Grin's guess, the woman is probably in her mid 20's. He also had to admit that she was quite a catch.

"What do you…want?" The nun asked bluntly while popping gum.

Grin noticed a slight flare in her eyes the moment she saw him. The woman paused for a split second. If it was surprise or realization, Grin could not tell. He wondered what that could have possibly meant.

"Weapons. Ammo." Grin growled. "Heard this is the place to be."

"You heard right. Now what do you want?" The nun asked again.

"To buy guns. " Grin thought his words well. He wondered if this was a test as he noticed that she was eying him closely. He didn't like that feeling.

"Come on in then." The nun finally said after a long pause.

The Church – surprisingly – had the looks of a church. Grin half expected it to have an overhaul due to its association with smuggled goods on display. Instead there were pews on the side, altar and Jesus Christ and all. The other employees themselves were also wearing similar attires as nuns or priests. It seems as though these criminals are quite the devotees themselves.

"Hey Rico! We got a buyer!" The nun yelled. "I got stuff to do and I can't be bothered for a while. Got it?" So much for sanctity.

"Got it Sis." A laid back, young green haired man said and has the look of a rookie.

The nun with an annoyed expression threw a heavy bible hard at his head.

"How many times do I gotta tell you to stop calling me sis?" The nun said sternly as she left the hall. "Jesus H. Christ!"

"She get's like that sometimes. Forgive her." Rico said with a cheerful disposition. "The name's Rico. Technically new here but I know enough how things work. And you are?"

"Grin."

"Pleasure to meet ya. So anyway as for weapons, come this way." Rico walked ahead with Grin trailing a few feet behind.

Rico guided Grin up to the altar and to the left wing of the church, down a flight of stairs. At the end of the hall was a large wooden door that led into a large gallery of weapons neatly stacked and classified per type and calibur.

"This is one of many stocks we got in this place." Rico aie You'll see the same weapons here as in our storehouses."

"We also don't include ammo in this room for obvious reasons." The man continued with an annoying smile on his face. "Other than that, it's your pick."

Rico stood by the door as he watched Grin silently skim through the weapons at his reach. There were many to choose from so it was hard for Grin to search and pick for his favorites.

Countless rifles, machine guns and the like were arranged by type on the sides of the room. Pistols were displayed in the center on top of boxes with their cleaning kits as well as grenades. Even a flamethrower loitered on a corner next to a functioning M60 and .50 Cal.

After spending an hour peering through the endless array of one stock room, Grin decided that he had enough and went for the type of weapon that suited him best. He made his way to the pistols as they were easy to conceal, powerful and matches his style of killing.

It didn't take long to find what he wanted. Grin associated himself with the classic American M1911 pistol. Old fashioned as it is, but the quality and design is legendary. The extended magazine add-on was included on the pile.

Deciding that he needed another gun for added security, Grin chose Walther P22 pistol. The gun's small size was easy to conceal and perfect for assassinations. It was also reliable as a backup gun in any firefights.

"I'll need some .44's. Ammo for these guns too." Grin growled when he was finished.

While Rico was getting the purchase together, something caught Grin's eye. On the corner underneath a pile of rifles, Grin found saw a promising gun sticking out. Digging through the pile, Grin found himself a rifle.

It was a Winchester 1892 Model or the "Mare's Leg" as people called it in the States. Grin didn't mean to be patriotic but he had to admit, it is still one hell of a gun. Spinning the gun with skill, Grin looked into sights of the rifle. He could already hear the cries of the Indians in the Nevada plains

"Take this one too."

Grin was surprised that there was no waiting time required in purchasing weapons as compared to other cities he's been. He was already been supplied with his weapon with all due haste.

The only problem was the payment. They didn't call it the Rip-Off Church for nothing. Grin barely had enough for the entire transaction despite all he had. Rico said that it was due to the high quality of the weapons he bought. They were considered as one of a kind.

"Thank you for shopping in the Church of Violence. Do come back again soon." Rico said as he shook Grin's hand innocently. He also gave Grin a duffle bag to put his weapons in before heading off. Despite the costs of the guns however, Grin felt satisfied with what he had. All he needed now was a well-paying job to ease his previous disappointment.

Fate had a funny way of answering Grin's calls when he was taken aback when he opened the large wooden doors of the Church. As light entered the old church a silhouette of a woman appeared in Grin's view.

Grin came face to face with Chinese-American looking woman wearing a black tank top and short jeans. Black tribal tattoos engraved her right arm and a wicked grin etched on her face with a snarl.

"I thought I smelled a something familiar the moment I stepped into this dump." The woman said as she drew her gun and pointed it to Grin's face. "Who thought that it'd all come from you, bastard?"

Grin could only look back at the statue of Christ and wondered if He was listening the entire time.

"Revy! What the hell are you doing?" a young Japanese man called in alarm as he exited the car.

"Stay out of this Rock." Revy calmly told her associate. Her Cutlass still lingered on the man's face. "I've been itching to find this guy ever since I smelled his raggedy ass last night on the docks. The guy reeks of Death and Gunpowder. Though in a bigger dose than any of us."

"Since last night…?" Rock said to himself.

Rock remembered Revy's eyes in the docks the night before. It was rare for Revy to have a look of unease in her usual vulgar personality. She was in a rare serious mood and vigilant for an unknown threat. Rock guessed that there was a possibility of Revy being a tad scared that night but he highly doubted that.

_But Just how dangerous could he be?_ Rock thought.

Looking at the masked man, Goosebumps rolled up his spine. He immediately felt the man's perilous aura stopping him on his tracks. It was already chocking him with fear as the man was indeed a sight of terror to behold.

"Two-hands I presume?" Grin asked.

It doesn't take a genius to tell who the woman was. Everyone talked of a trigger-happy woman with long dark hair that curses like a sailor. The two Cutlass pistols that she held on each hand also gave a straight answer.

"The one and only." She smirked. "And you must be the Reaper they've been talking about. Heard what you did on the 35th street. Gotta say, I'm impressed."

"Yes." Grin said indifferently. "Might I ask? What's with the gun?"

"I just wanna know if you're all cracked up to be. Maybe even give me a warm up for today's job too. I could use a punching bag"

"Is that so?" Grin growled.

A mist of gas vented from the mask. Revy gagged at the smell and turned away from the foul smell. Amidst the confusion, the Reaper tossed his duffle bag at Revy's face.

Immediately, Grin grabbed Revy's gun that was pointed at his face and shot off her pistol from her other hand. Revy was stopped on her tracks the moment the Reaper pointed a gun directly at her forehead.

"Ya Fuckin' Cheater." Revy cussed. "I wasn't even ready."

"Death doesn't wait. Not for anyone." Grin dropped the gun to the floor. "A thing about me. I never back down from a fight."

In a flash, Grin kicked Revy on the chest and sent her flying off the porch and to the ground. Coughing and panting due to the pain, Revy struggled to get up. Rock came in and helped her get to her feet.

"Revy, you okay?" Rock asked.

"Stay out of this Rock," Revy coughed and pushed him away. "He's mine."

Revy charged into the fray as Grin casually made his way down the stairs. Grin threw a punch when Revy got in close. Revy dodged and countered it with a grapple that threw the Reaper to the ground. She then preceded the assault by getting on top of him and unleashed a fury of blows.

Grin blocked some of the hits and got some punches in turn. He managed to push her off of him and spun with a kick that sent Revy skidding away a few feet.

Revy barely got to her feet when the Reaper towered above her. Grin threw a heavy-handed blow at Two-Hands whilst she was on the ground.

Rock ran inside the Church looking for someone to stop the rumble outside. If he doesn't do anything soon God knows what will happen. Rock thought of stopping them himself but thought that he'll get turned down just like the Maid Crisis a while back. He was grateful when he found Eda lying on the couch reading a magazine in one of the rooms.

"Hey Rock, could you tell the people outside to quiet down?" The nun said. Her eyes were glued to the magazine. "Sister Yolanda is taking a nap and trust me she'll crucify us if she wakes up."

"But Revy and some guy are fighting just outside and we need to stop them." Rock frantically replied.

"Little jealous cuz of some man taking interest in your girl?" Eda snickered under the book. "Who's the lucky guy. Bet you 5 bucks she'll shoot him like Swiss cheese on the first minute"

"What? No." Rock denied. "The guy she's fighting is a monster in a leather jacket and a gasmask."

"Gasmask? Oh, that'll be Grin the Reaper." Eda nonchalantly said as she turned another page. "He's Just some badass who just arrived fresh off the boat and a recent customer. An odder guy than the 3 kings put together huh? Give me $100 on the big guy."

"Aren't you gonna stop them?" Rock asked the nun in disbelief. "Or do anything?"

"Nope. Despite the fact that I want to see that Bitch getting her ass handed to her, I'm on my break." The nun said indifferently. "Whatever happens to Revy's not my problem. Pray for a Miracle. Maybe He'll help you out. Now beat it."

"Damn you can take a punch?" Revy thought as she rolled to dodge another hit. Countless times she managed to make a clear hit at the Reaper but every time the man shrugs it off. He doesn't even seem to flinch no matter how many times she rattled his brain.

"The Fuck ARE you made off?" Revy panted.

Two-Hand's body was all bruised up and banged up in the worst way. Her organs felt like it was getting crushed and her muscles aching after being hit and thrown around by the Reaper.

_What kind of sick game are you playing at? _Revy thought as she looked at the Reaper in disbelief. _The guy hardly moves but he only blocks my heavy hits. And when he does, he hits me where it hurts. What a real shitstorm I got myself into._

"Nothing of Consequence." Grin replied as he made his move.

Grin didn't give Revy a chance for a breath as he suddenly made a charge. Closing in, grabbed her by the throat and threw her to the ground. He began slamming her onto the pavement and at the nearby GTO vehicle.

Amidst the barrage, Revy tried to free herself from the blitz. The hand gave off an odd searing heat almost like it was burning her. Try as she might however the hand wouldn't budge. No matter how many hits she gave it, it wouldn't loosen or even tighten it's grip. Not even a rock hindered the mask wearing freak's arm.

When she pulled back the jacket, when Grin slammed her again, Revy was surprised to see that the man's entire forearm was a prosthetic.

"You really play Dirty, you bastard!" Revy hollered after getting thrown across the courtyard.

"Had enough?" Grin asked as he fixed his sleeve to cover his arm and adjusted his gloves.

"You kidding? I'm just getting warmed up." Revy replied as she wiped off some of her blood from her lips. "Must be hard jacking off with that arm huh? Or do you prefer shoving that thing up your ass you faggot?"

A flying fist soon flew towards her face. Revy barely dodged it due to how unexpected it came out from nowhere. To her surprise it came from Grin's metal arm.

_This guy is just full of surprises_. Revy thought as she dodged the incoming projectile. _He's got more tricks than a Vegas Card Dealer._

Looking back at what imbedded itself on the tree behind her, Revy was surprised to see that the projectile was none other than the Reaper's own very metal hand. Attached to it was a linked chain that trailed behind it all the way back to the Reaper.

Before Revy could make a snide remark about anything, the chains started rattling. Looking back to the Reaper, the man appeared to be flying towards her at a high speed.

"You talk too much." Grin growled and made contact. The Reaper did a brutal clothesline onto Revy that threw her into the air and onto the dusty ground.

Breathing heavily and struggling to stand, Revy watched as the Reaper tore through the tree. He looked back at her with his deadly red eye and started marching towards her.

Gathering what strength she had left, Revy acted fast and struck first. She proceeded to attack him with quick jabs. Revy kept her distance within the arms of the Reaper as she fought.

The Reaper's heavy handed strikes relied on a large area to move around. By closing in on the distance, Revy managed to limit the Reaper's movements and nearly stopped him from attacking. Her small stature also helped avoid the Reaper from getting a hold of good as the plan was, it wasn't perfect.

Grin retaliated with a knee kick to the stomach. Halting the barrage of fists, Grin managed to successfully get a hand on Two-Hands again. Holding her by the throat, Grin was about to repeat his crushing move that would end the fight there and then.

Much to his chagrin, Revy instead used it against him. Twisting herself around and onto the arm, she managed to pull her full weight and sent them both to the ground. Revy locked him in place with an armlock and pulled hard with hopes of pining him to submission.

"Cmon motherfucker! See if you can get out of this!" Revy bellowed as she pulled harder

Knowing no other choice, Grin ejected his prosthetic's straps. He managed to free himself and kicked Revy hard enough to send her rolling backwards. Coughing, panting and struggling to stand for another bout, the two killers eyed each other one last time. Before the two brawlers can move in for another row a gunshot was fired hitting the ground between the two.

"Okay now. Break it up you two." A middle aged Chinese man in a trench coat called out. On his hand was a smoking pistol and behind him were 6 men wearing identical black suits.

"Chang?" Revy panted. Her eyes laced with confusion due to the Triad boss's sudden entry "How long were you watching back there?"

"Oh, since the moment you two fought." The Mob boss said with a bright smile. "Got to admit, it was a hell of a good show. Can't wait to watch that again."

"Then why stop it?" Grin asked between breaths as he reattached his arm. His eye never left the view of the Chinaman in front of him. Grin could feel a powerful aura emitting from him.

"Because I got a job for you." The Mob boss replied as he lit up a cigarette. "A job for the both of you actually. I have to admit your little rumble here made it a lot easier to find you both."

"Just a sec there Chang, what do you mean a job for the both of us?" Revy asked in suspicion despite knowing what he'll say next.

"What I mean to say is Two-Hands, the two of you are now officially partners!" Chang announced with open arms. "For an important job that needs you both."

"WHAT?!" Revy and Grin cried in disbelief.


	6. Who is the Reaper

"Goddamn it Dutch." Revy angrily complained, slamming her boot at the metal walls of the Lagoon as it cruised past the sea. "It's bad enough that we get a shitty job on a weekend but to do it with THAT psycho fuck?!"

"This ain't a big boat you know, Revy." Dutch replied from behind the wheel. "That guy could hear you well and clear from down there."

"Pfft." Revy spat. "Don't tell me you're afraid of him now are you?"

"Not yet he does. Just pays to be careful around his lot." Dutch coolly said. "People like him are very unpredictable that's why I want him as far away from us as we go through this trip. I'm just worried that what you say might send him up here with us then things WILL get nasty."

"What's stopping us from doing this job without him then?"

"Chang." Dutch said. "Need I say more."

"Yeah Yeah." Revy snarled. "You sound like a fucking broken record you know."

Revy understands the importance of the Reaper's presence for this mission. She simply couldn't stand nor accept having him around. She does the same to every recent addition to the Lagoon. Whether it was temporary or otherwise. It was even more so since her first meeting with the Reaper ended with an exchange of fists. Revy was itching for a rematch.

"I'll rip off that Cyclops's arm off then shove that whole thing up his ass." Revy mumbled as she cracked her knuckles. "Then I'll shoot off his other eye then replace it with his balls if he still has em."

"Hey there Two Hands, let's not go off killing a fellow associate." Dutch warned. "He's got a big name in the business. Might be good for OUR business if this pulls out well."

"Yeah Yeah. He's officially my partner for this job." Revy responded mimicking Chang's voice in a mocking tone. "Well right now he's officially a pain in the ass!"

"Where is he right now?" Dutch asked regarding Grin.

"He's with Rock in the cabins." Revy said as she lit herself up another smoke.

"He looked as though he wants to know the guy more. Probably trying to save another one or some shit like that."

Grin occupied himself throughout the trip by looking through the ship's schematics that Chang gave him. The job seems to be more complex than usual based on the info given to him.

_That chink is a hard man to read _Grin thought.

The man was a conundrum. Grin couldn't tell if the guy is as serious as people say or simply naïve and stupid. Chang seemed to be too laid back to be a mob boss. Grin however knew better. A simple glimpse of the man's eyes betrays that misconception. Chang had the look of a grand strategist. A dangerous one to be sure.

Either way that didn't solve Grin's dilemma of making a plan for the mission. His reputation in the underworld as a force of nature or a magician in his art, a lot of those took meticulous planning to achieve whether it's a suicide mission or not.

Grin hardly slept for 2 days planning out the mission. Reading through the blueprints, researching on the target's history and countermeasures if things go to shit. It wasn't your regular day in the office if it was life or death. He isn't about to ANYTHING stop him as the day of reckoning comes in a few hours.

"Hey there Grin." a voice came popping up out of nowhere.

"Damn." Grin muttered under his breath. _It's that Jap again. What was his name? Stone? No, Rock!_

"What do you want, Rock?" Grin growled without turning his face from the plans.

"Oh, uh. I just brought in some lunch since you haven't come out from here since we left." Rock offered him a burrito and a beer.

That seemed to catch Grin's attention. He hadn't eaten for a while since he started planning the job and it was only then that he realized his hunger. Why not? He could use a break. However, he was not sure about the company though.

"Thanks." Grin growled. Before he could remove his mask's filter to eat, he noticed that Rock was still there. "Can I help you?"

"Oh nothing" Rock said. "I was just looking at what you were doing back here."

"Yeah. It's a mess." Grin answered. "Anything else?"

Grin doesn't think that this guy's going to leave, much to his discomfort. Grin doesn't do well with private audiences because people don't usually take an interest on him less talk to him about stuff.

"Uhh. Nothing much." Rock answered nervously.

The Reaper looked at him with calm and deadly eye. Rock didn't really know what came over him to say hello to or even give the guy lunch this dangerous man. What really unsettled him was the man's red eye. It hardly blinked and just focused its attention to him. It sent a shiver down his spine. Rock was about to make his way to leave when the man spoke and said,

"What kind of name is that?" Grin asked.

"Huh? W-what?" Rock said. He wasn't really paying attention to the question.

"Rock." Grin said curiously. "What's your name? Or are your folks. Metal heads? Don't look the part though."

"Rokuro Okajima." Rock replied with a hint of pride. "Just your average Joe running gun with a bunch of pirates out in the Southeast."

"You are not one of them."

"Excuse me?" Rock asked. The reply took him off guard.

"Your…comrades. You are not like them." Grin repeated. His beady eye remained on Rock. "Killers, thieves and crooks. Especially your girlfriend. But not you. Why is that?"

"Well, I…Wait! Revy is NOT my girlfriend!" Rock replied, his cheeks glowing red. Grin however remained indifferent and somehow not convinced.

"Suure." Grin said sarcastically. "So, what are you? A conman? Gambler? What brought you here? You stand out."

"Not at all." Rock answered sincerely as he sat down on the opposite chair. "I'm just an innocent bystander that got pulled into this kind of life. I actually used to be your average salaryman up until these guys kidnapped me. I gotta admit that they got me turning to a 'new' leaf. After some adventures and almost getting killed in each one, I got used to being with them. And so here I am."

"Hmmm." Grin growled. "Stockholm syndrome?"

"Yeah. Kinda. Hehe." Rock laughed awkwardly. To his surprise he heard Grin do some kind of a guttural sound from his mask. Was he laughing?

"Hey! Stop laughing." Rock said embarrassingly.

"Ha! Met a lot of idiots before. You make the top." Grin is actually starting to loosen up to this guy. However, he pitied this Jap. The kid has no idea what hellhole he's getting into. "You ain't gonna last rookie. This shitstorm's gonna eat you alive."

"Hey!" Rock exclaimed. "I've gone through my own share of crazy shitstorms and survived without a hitch and without using a gun."

"Really?" Grin was caught off guard by that factor.

He expected Rock to be a typical rookie that ended up in the wrong place at the wrong time. Those people end up in the gutters with a bullet in their head on the first day. Grin's began to take interest on the man they called Rock.

"What good are you?"

"I'm good with words." Rock answered with a small smile. "Tried to help some people despite the odds. Survived the worst kinds of hell this kind of world would bring. Aaand I'm kind of what's keeping this entire group together."

Grin said nothing. He had to admit, he's impressed of how far he's gone. He also noticed that Rock managed to keep his sanity as well as his innocence in the underbelly of all hells. Grin felt a bit envious of Rock's preserved humanity.

"And what about you?" Rock asked. "What's your story?"

"Me?" Grin took a moment in silent brooding. He hadn't thought about his past or himself for a long time. "I just come and go. Wherever the wind takes me. Leaving behind a few parts. Both theirs…and mine." Grin motioned to his prosthetic arm, making it move a few fingers.

"You know," Rock started to avoid an awkward silence. "That arm of yours actually took me by surprise. Back then I thought that you were some Superman or something."

"Didn't need this arm. To kick your girlfriend's ass." Grin growled. "Hell. Could'ave fought her blind for all I cared. Hehe. But. Has been useful."

"For God's sake man." Rock said as his cheeks turned red again. "She's not my girlfriend. We're just…good friends."

"Your words." Grin said in a teasing tone. "Not mine."

"In any case. Why do you wear that thing on your face?" Rock referred to Grin's gas mask. He was desperate to change the subject.

"This thing." Grin pointed at his mask. "IS my face."

Rock stared at the mask. It covered most of the face not counting the eyes. Carved to the shape of a macabre skull it looked old, worn and rough around the edges. Brown blood and Metal braces stapled itself messily around every corner. A work of art or not, it did not impede the function of the gasmask.

_If that's what he thinks, I could only imagine what he looks like inside. _

"Isn't it uncomfortable?" Rock asked.

"Yes." Grin growled as he took a deep breath before unscrewing the tank off and taking a bite. "Holds in the pain. My disability. One of many."

"And when it does?" Rock asked "When you take it off?"

"Then" Grin answered, pausing as he chewed his meal. "It will be very painful."

He thought of a while about what to say next. He wanted to be careful about what he will say because he is enjoying the company of this odd Japanese man. Rock then saw Grin do a small smile – or a grin – visible from the mask's opening and joked

"Cuz what I got in here." Grin motioned to his mask. "Will seriously fuck you up."

"Oh c'mon." Rock said supportively as he patted Grin on the back. "I'm sure it's not that ba-."

Rock looked aghast and fell silent as Grin humored him by lifting off his mask. Without saying a word, Rock left the room abruptly without even closing the door shut as he tried his best staying clear as far as possible from the Reaper. What he saw was simply unspeakable and couldn't spare another second.

On a personal note, Grin enjoyed hanging out with Rock. Grin appreciated Rock's goodhearted and friendly attitude. It made some form of impact on Grin which is helped him feel accepted and human. He considered Rock as one of the few he could ever call as something to a friend.

_Meanwhile, at the same moment:_

"So what's the deal with this mission of ours anyhow?" She asked as she lit herself another smoke. "I wasn't really paying attention since I had frozen meat at my face half the time we met with Chang."

"You never were the kind who listens to briefings either way." Dutch chuckled. "We are here to transport our good friend Grin to the target's ship as well as provide backup in case he needs one."

"I know THAT part. But who's the lucky bastard he's gonna pop?"

"An associate of Chang, or used to be. He's fellow high classed mobster who fell out of our good friend Chang's favor. I dunno the details but I know that he's in bad shit for fucking something up." Dutch explained "Long story short, for your attention span's sake, our buddy Chang want's an example made out of him. And by example of, meaning Dead. In public."

"The guy is gonna show up somewhere in the East China Sea on a Cruise ship." Dutch continued. "The son of a bitch is throwing himself a public party for himself and for some people. We're gonna sneak in, kill the bastard and then escape before any fed come sniffing. It's as simple as that, or so as the briefing would go.

"That's it? We're just gonna cap one guy in a fucking Cruise ship?" Revy said in disbelief. "I could handle this shit myself! I say we go in at night, shoot the bastard rip shit up to anyone who gets in our way and get out before any else knew what the fuck happened. We go home, we get paid and we won't need Darth Vader then?"

"Heh! If only it were that easy, Two-Hands." Dutch explained. "This ain't your regular drive by, get and go. The ship's a tough nut to crack. It's crawling with the bastard's armed bodyguards in every corner." "

"There'll be civilians with him so he'll be hard to spot. All of it is a little too much for even you to handle. It's also a big Cruise ship; a lot of things can go wrong. That's why we're gonna let our associate do most of the work while we sit on the background."

"And what makes our good buddy so special that he can take on an army?" Revy asked with a mocking tone.

"Cuz Chang said that Grin is made for all that impossible shit. He's confident of the man's abilities and believes that he'll do the job well. Let's hope he's right." Dutch answered.

Dutch could see in Revy's doubts on the matter but Dutch was focused more about the man on board his ship. He wondered about the safety of his crew with an unpredictable psycho in the small confines of his ship. The identity beyond the reputation of the mysterious man also came to mind.

"What did you find out about him, Benny?" Dutch asked his Techy the moment he entered the ship's Bridge.

Dutch had Benny do a background check on Grin before they departed the docks. The fact that he came up from his cabin after a long while must mean that he must have found a thing or two on the subject. Everyone was curious to see who this person they're working with is.

"Hmmm." Benny fumbled through his notes and took out his laptop. "The guy really isn't that hard to find in the net. He's wanted for first degree murder on multiple counts, terrorism, firebombing, Destruction of property and so on."

"His name pops out in every FBI data record, Hit-men rosters and every newsreels I've found in several countries, Brazil, East Europe, Southeast Asia, Middle East and the US to name a few. His notoriety is one of their top charts."

"That's nothing out of the ordinary." Revy said. "I've still got my face stapled on every police station up and down the coast. How bout a name or background stuff? Give us some dirt will ya?"

"Um, Yeah. That's gonna be a problem." Benny replied. "Of all the info I had about the Reaper, none of it showed any personal records. He was never caught and rarely pops up on a normal day so info is scarce."

"Every search engine and information sites I did on the guy, I got zip. I got no name, age, license, passports, nor a photo of a face behind that mask. They don't even know where he comes from, though the FBI speculates that he's American since his supposed kills first popped up along the Mid-West. "

"I'd put my money on that." Dutch said. "Despite the guys rough speech pattern, the guy can speak straight english. He even got the jokes. That is, if what he did was a laugh."

"Sounds motor like a motor running on fumes." Revy interjected. "A mood killer's more like it too."

"But that still doesn't say where he comes from." Dutch said. "Or what kind of life he had before all this. Just a look at him and the guy already spells out crazy."

"So what, did he crash down on a farm or crawled straight from hell's asshole and started capping people for fun?" Revy queried. "He's got to be something like that, right?"

"Nope. None of that at all." Benny shook his head. "Only assumptions. Records show that he's been on it for over a span of a decade. That would probably make him in his late 20's or early 30's. No background checks of any kind on what he did before killing."

"What do you think?" Dutch turned to Revy. "You DID just face off with the guy. What did it tell you?"

"It's a tough guess, Dutch." Revy answered. "Hard to see with that mask on him. And then there's that guy's eye."

"If I have to be honest," Dutch commented. "It kinda gave me the creeps when that red eye of his looked at me. It was like a beam recharging for a shot."

"You could say that again." Benny added. "But was more like a laser sight from a sniper. And it happened to be pointed at my face."

"I know right?" Revy said. "The bastard didn't blink too. Back when we were fighting he kept his eye on me the entire time. Almost as if he was reading my moves as it dragged on. Bastard didn't even move from where he was through most of the fight. Didn't even hunker down for the storm when I was hitting him. And believe me, the guy CAN take a hit. A whole lot of it. Almost as if it were nothing before hitting back where it hurts. The guy's good. I'll give you that."

"Bastard made me into a fucking Dalmatian." Revy groaned. "Like a walking piece of art. Damn! Turned me all black and blue in the inside till next week now."

"As long as it doesn't get in the way of the job Two-Hands. Now, how about how the guy works." Dutch asked. "His _modus operandi?_"

"Now THAT is something I found a lot on." Benny turned his laptop around and showed it to the two. It displayed the Reaper's know exploits in detail. Benny spoke as he scrolled down the pages. "The Reaper's pretty public when it comes to his jobs. The guy specializes on public and covert assassinations, bombings, and most especially on public displays of his victims. Possibly as a message for people or mob rivals. The guy will ripped shit up, slash and burn in every job. Almost like Suicide-Kamikaze shit. One dangerous job after the other."

The next picture showed a picture of a burned down manor somewhere in South America. Outside by the gates showed a line of crucified corpses whose hands were spread out. The faces of the bodies were displayed with horror and pain on their faces.

Not even the women and children were spared. An infant lie nailed at the mother's breast. A corpse on the middle had a cardboard cutout nailed to its head. On it was written: _To cheat me is to cheat Death. Ye be warned. – The Reaper._

"Jesus Christ." Dutch swore under his breath.

"I'll say." Revy said. Her eyes were still glued to the screen. "We have THAT psycho in our ship and in the same room as Rock? Even I'm getting freaked out."

"I couldn't even believe it myself when I saw that." Benny said. "The guy CAN make anyone disappear and is capable. Man, woman, child, rich or poor. Doesn't matter when you're under his radar. But if that surprises you, check this shit out."

The 5minute video showed a handheld camera for a church funeral from a high vantage point_. _It showed a closed wake near the altar. Attendants walked in pairs and gave respect for the dead. Musicians were heard playing sad tunes above the 2nd floor veranda overlooking the hall.

A middle-aged man and a woman approached the casket. Despite being slightly obese and a bulldog face, he had an air of authority over the others. An important man by the looks of it. The woman next to him wore an elaborate dress with jewels to match. The man's wife, girlfriend or mistress; unsure and unimportant. As he approached to kiss the coffin, the music unexpectedly stopped.

"The hell?" The cameraman said.

He zoomed in on the musicians. They bolted to a run and exited the premises through the side in haste. The instruments were left abandoned. The murmurs of the attendants were heard in confusion.

"The heck is all that abou—"

The camera quavered as the ground shook amidst the large explosions that went off. The cameraman was blown away by the gust and just barely kept himself on his feet.

"Oh shit! Oh shit. Oh shit oh shit." The cameraman said. His heavy breathing overshadowed the sounds of crying and screaming. "The fuck is going on?"

The film witnessed part of the church blown to bits and some parts burned in an insane inferno. People were on the floor with missing limbs and tattled shirts. Dead or wounded, it could not be said as the cameraman kept skimming through the shots before stopping at where the coffin stood.

The couple from earlier were still in front of the coffin. They were both on the floor with some men coming forward to help them up. None of them appear hurt.

Amidst the chaos, a heavy thudding sound was heard coming from the coffin. The bodyguards took notice and approached it with caution. One stayed behind with the couple. Another went forward and opened it while the rest watched.

The man never immediately got blown away the moment he touched the coffin. The others fired at it and the coffin fell to the side. A glimpse of a figure rolled out from the coffin and easily took out the guards in a blink of an eye.

It malevolently approached the couple, which were pleading, and shot them point blank range. The man kept shooting till his gun went dry. He then went about the church picking off the survivors. Even the corpses were shot.

The cameraman gave a heavy sigh of relief as the man left the premises. He fell to the ground in exhaustion.

"The film goes on for another 10 minutes of the guy standing there." Benny elaborated. "Won't blame him though. That was one hell of a mess. No survivors, no witnesses. That's how the guy works. I've read countless impossible jobs done by this man and did so in the craziest of ways. Most of it done in broad daylight. In public even and managed to walk out of it like it was a trip to the candy store. It's almost scary."

"Dunno whether I'm liking the guy more or need to watch out for him." Revy chuckled. "But I gotta admit that was funny! I mean, coming out from a coffin! In a dude's funeral? HAHAHA!"

"You got some twisted sense of humor Revy." Benny sighed.

"You see, that's why I prefer being cremated." Dutch said. Slightly impressed. "That is one hardcore motherfucker. What happened to the guy though? The one caught filming this? Guessing there's no happy ending for him huh?"

"Nothing get's passed your eye huh?" Benny said. "No. The guy doesn't. The guy was found a week later in an alley. Shot to pieces. Whether it was by a mugger, gang or _him. _Reports are unsure. But the guy did post the vid before kicking the bucket."

"One thing I wanna ask is," Revy asked. "Where did he pick up such a weird name like that? You don't get something like that for being on your ass."

"C'mon now Revy, you have to admit. It is a pretty cool name" Dutch replied.

"Well, before he started wearing that Gas mask of his, rumors said that he had a Chelsea Grin on his face." Benny said. "It gave him a scary grin like look, so the name got stuck. As for _The Reaper _part, he got that cuz of the guy's wicked skills in killing as well as his thing with putting coins in his victims after killing them."

"Coins?" Dutch asked with a raised eyebrow. "Why the hell for?"

"Not a clue." Benny replied with a shrug. "It's up to you if you wanna ask him."

"Small imagination those cops have." Revy spat. "What the fuck does that have to do with being called the Reaper?"

"It's obvious for someone hardly reads to know this one." Benny joked. Revy punched him in the shoulder. "Ow. Anyway, in Greek funerals, a coin is placed under the dead's tongue to allow him safe passage in the underworld where they use it to pay the fare. The cops gave him that moniker because of that and since he also closely acted and resembled the Grim Reaper due to the high death toll in his name."

"What a weirdo. Must be a real fugly freak under that mask huh"

"You bet." Benny continued. "The guy also doesn't have a direct calling card. He just pops up somewhere like a bat out of hell at random and go to the highest bidder. He also has a thing for disappearing after finishing up. That gave him a lot of urban legends."

"That must be why the Interpol couldn't catch him after all this time. And they're not the type who'd just sit on their asses and eat donuts all day." said Dutch.

"That's right. He's a real Keyser Soze in the underworld. One of many but one of the best. He just sends out a message or a kill to show that he's in town then gets hired for some jobs, then all hell breaks loose to the ones he starts targeting."

"Well that explains the Red Ship at the Docks a week ago. He's found himself a new Haven." Dutch said. "God Help us."

"Hey what's Rock doing up there?" Revy asked as she peeked out of the window.

She watched Rock on the scaffolds of the boat. He was leaning forward and appeared to be hurling chunks on the side of the boat.

"A little too late to get Seasick, right?" Benny said.

"Don't know." Dutch said. "But as long as he can keep it out of the ship, I'm fine with it. Revy, call him in when he's done. Get the Reaper also. We're here."

"It's a small boat Two-Hands." Grin growled as he entered the bridge. "Don't need to shout."

"Well it takes a while to get anything through that thick skull of yours bonehead." Revy said. "So get marching next time! We ain't got all day."

"And by the way," Revy added. "We got a score to settle when we get back. Ya hear? You and me, one on one. I'll even let you keep that arm of yours. I wouldn't want to make it too hard for you now would it."

"Don't count on it Bitch. I won't need it to beat your slutty ass." Grin growled as he popped his neck. "And no fucking China man's gonna fucking stop us this time."

"Diddo."

"Now that that's all settled. Let's get down to business." Dutch coolly stated as soon as everyone gathered together and cooled off. Turning to Grin, he asked. "So What's the plan?"

"Okay then." Grin started. His raspy breathing echoed in the room. He then unfolded the Cruise ship's schematics with the plans written all over it for all to follow and see. "We start by…"


	7. One Hell of a Party

"**Status, Rock**?" Grin asked through radio static.

"Security is tight and leaving no openings." Rock replied in a hushed tone. "Some guests are armed with added bodyguards with important looking people. Over." Turning around fast as a patron passed by, Rock resumed with his persona as a servant for the party. Complete with a fake smile.

"**The Target?"**

"Still in sight." Rock whispered. "Hasn't left the table yet but is surrounded with civilians and bodyguards. There aren't that many openings to sneak through right now though. Over."

"**I'll worry about that. Just keep an eye out. You're our eyes. Over and out." **

Tasked with reconnaissance for the mission, Rock resumed serving drinks for the lavish party. Moving about unnoticed amongst the crowds, he gave updates on occurrences, as per Grin's orders.

The Plan had him blend in with the civilians as a waiter and act as a look out. With his skills in making conversations with other servers, Rock also supplied with details regarding possible options. Grin was confident that he wouldn't arouse any suspicion as compared to the rest of Lagoon Company.

Originally, Grin's first pick for the job was Revy, but the woman angrily vetoed it. The Plan would have her act as a guest as to get nearer to the target and the event. It also would have her wear a lavish outfit supplied by Rowan but she vehemently ripped it to shred the moment she saw it.

Even when Grin told her that she could kill the target herself, her ego and pride overruled it. Never would Grin know that he made a right choice in picking Rock. Revy would just catch attention too fast by punching the first man who would dare touch her ass.

The cover of night and the noise of the party helped conceal the small boat Grin, Revy and Rock used to get in the ship. Dutch and Benny stayed behind a mile back. Benny will be the lookout on the radio for any interference while Dutch provided the escape vehicle.

"Waiter, get me another glass of champagne will you?" an upper classed businessman ordered without even looking back to Rock. He appeared to be too busy talking with the other guests with a boring monotone.

_Nice_ _outfit_ _dickwad_. Rock remembered Revy saying with a mocking tone. _Looks a lot better than that crappy shirt your always wearing._

He still felt uneasy wearing the waiter's attire knowing where it's been.

The original owner happened to stumble upon them the moment Rock, Revy and Grin got on the boat. Before anyone could react, Grin got hold of him and snapped his neck before he could even squeal.

With morbid humor, Grin told Rock that he'll be wearing the man's uniform for the job. To add salt to the wound, Rock had to strip it off from the corpse himself while Grin and Revy split off. After finishing the deed, Rock sullenly dumped the corpse overboard and got into position.

"About time you got here." The rude man spoke as soon as Rock returned with the man's drink. "Now piss off."

Rock had to admit, it did remind him of his work days in Japan. Back then he was pushed around by his higher ups as well. Who knew that he'd experience THAT again?

"**Hey Rock**!" A rude voice called out in Rock's earpiece. "**I know that you have to pretend and all but could you stick with the fucking program? Stop dicking around with Richie Rich. We got a job to do and I want get it over with quick.**"

"H-hey Rev—" Rock started but got broken up by another line.

"**The kid's doing fine.**" Grin growled. "**Stick to your own program. Two-Hands. How are the bombs**?"

"**You mind saying that again, RoboCop? Speak closer to the mike Cuz seriously, I CAN'T understand a fucking word your muffled voice is saying**!" Revy answered.

Tasked with planting the explosives for their escape, Grin and Revy silently stalked around the ship planted explosives as they did. Smoke and HE bombs were placed in vital parts of the ship.

Revy took care of the lower levels and planted the bombs on the engine and radio rooms while Grin handled topside and planted bombs around the main deck and lifeboats. The bombs were small IED's that could be remotely detonated and could hide behind any crack they could reach.

"**The bombs are set where you wanted them by the way, Vader." **Revy reported.** "Gotta knock out a Jackoff for spotting me in the cabins though. Apart from that, I'm almost about done. Over.**"

"**Benny. Anything on Radar?"** Grin asked.

"**A patrol boat just came passing by a few miles north and won't be coming back till another hour. No other movements so far**." The Techy answered. "**You're in the Clear for now. Over."**

"Hey guys." Rock said. "I heard from the Emcee that the target is about to make a toast. He's doing it on a podium at the end of the stern deck. It's a good opening to take him out. Get to your positions its about to start in a bit."

"**Hey Vader**." Revy called in. There was no response. "**Grin! I'm done in my end here. I'm getting tired of all this sneaking around bullshit. It's like watching Soccer**. **Can't I just cap the bastard right now and get it done with?**"

"**Two Hands**. **Do you ever shut up?**" Grin sighed. He swears that working with that woman is pain in it's own caliber. Never would he imagine that his calm demeanor cant handle that woman's unruly nagging.

"No. No she doesn't Grin." Rock replied with a usual and drained tone. "She's always like that to everyone."

"**Like a bitch**?" Grin replied. "**Yeah. No surprises there**."

"**You know I can hear you two dildos in the radio right**?" Revy responded in irritation. "**Dicks**. **Whatev'. Let's just get this party started.**"

"**Hey Grin, can I tell you something?" **Rock asked.

"**Sure." **Grin growled. "**Just make sure. Two-Hands ain't in. Going at a limit already."**

"Already had. It's about what happened in the Lagoon**."**

"**Oh, that?" **Grin growled. **"Heh! Don't need to apologize. You didn't do anything. It's normal"**

"Really?" Rock said, mildly surprised. "It's just tha—"

"**Drop it, Rock." **Grin interjected. "**It's nothing. Hey guys. Eye's peeled. Crowd's getting restless."**

On your toes guys." Rock notified. "The guy's speech is coming up."

"**This is it guys**." Grin called in through the radio. "**Get in position**."

Rock went in the back part of the audience along with the other ship servants. With his hands behind his hand, he pulled out a detonator from his sleeve. Given charge of the detonation of the bombs right after Grin makes the kill, he readied himself for the fireworks.

Revy went to one of the unoccupied cabins that had a clear vantage point of the deck. She dropped her bag on the floor and took out a FAL battle rifle. Setting it up near the window, she primed the weapon and looked through its scope ready to strike.

"Bout fucking time." Revy said with an excited smile. "I'm in position. Ready to bring in hell."

"**Let's do this**." Grin said to all stations. With everyone in position, they lied in wait.

Grin waited behind a corner and watched as the events unfolded with the Emcee congratulating the Chinese Mob Boss with a fake smile and a nod before welcomed by thunderous applause.

Grin watched in ire as the Target made his speech. He never understood the need of such lavish grandeur over simple things. It shows no purpose and wastes people's time and money. The only celebration there is was on showing how powerful and deep these guys' pockets are.

_I think that's why Chang wanted this guy dead_ Grin thought as he watched the man make his way to the stage. The Mob Boss is too public with his life with all the cameras and all.

Sooner or later, with the right men sniffing, it would have exposed the Triads to the public. Grin felt some excitement with killing that man on stage in front of all those cameras. Seeing that in TV would have things a lot more interesting.

"Thank you everybody for coming here tonight." The man began his speech in broken English. Grin took this as his signal and walked casually behind the stage. One of the bodyguards spotted him as he approached and raised his hand in front as to tell him to halt.

Grin responded by raising his own hand while continuing on his way. From under the sleeve, sprang out a small pistol. The sound of applause, popping of champagne bottled and confetti blocked out the sound of a gun going off.

By the time it noise ended, 4 people lie dead behind the stage. A stagehand fell under the arms of the curtains, the Emcee lies dead on the floor and a bodyguard leaned by the staircase dead with his hand on his chest. The other bodyguard was left squirming behind Grin. The man choked on a bullet in his throat and vainly screamed without a sound at the loss of 2 fingers. Satisfied, Grin made his way up the stage

Time started to slow down after that. The audience and the cameras took notice of the new character that set foot on stage. The host himself was oblivious of it all. He was too drunk with attention to take see.

Before anyone else could react, a small mist of gas ejected from Grin as he went grabbed the man from behind his neck. Holding him tight with his Right hand, the Reaper then stabbed through the man's back with his Left. Horror engulfed the audience as blood splattered on their startled faces.

Grin ripped through the man like cardboard as his bloody left hand emerged from his chest like an Alien. Screams and panic erupted from the audience as they ran away from the scene. Some of the spectators hurled their dinners onto the floor as the corpse fell down with a thud.

Rock couldn't believe what he saw and came close to hurling himself. The revulsion of seeing the blood spew out from the helpless man onto the onlookers almost made Rock forget his next role.

Pressing the detonator hard, the sides of the ship exploded in a fury of shrapnel and smoke. The windows shattered and smoke covered its view. The people were in chaos as they tried to find their footing and sense to what has just happened.

Revy also reacted with surprise after what she saw Grin do. She nonetheless managed to snap herself out of it and begin shooting off the bodyguards and armed guests. She did well in covering Grin who began shooting off people himself from the stage without even taking cover. The chaos seems to disrupt the thugs' aim.

"That guy has SOME balls." Revy muttered to herself. She hated herself for admitting it.

"**Thank you**." She heard Grin answer. _Shit! forgot that my radio was still on_.

"Whatever." She answered back. "The explosives just went off. Now let's get the fuck out of here. I'll go get Rock."

"**Wait**."

"What the fuck do you mean, wait? The job's done for Christ's sakes."

"**It isn't."** Grin replied. The voice paused for a second as more gunshots were heard. "**This man's double. The real one's still alive."**

"God Damn it! You mean he's not here?" Revy answered back furiously as she unleashed a long volley of rounds. "But we heard Rock say that the real guy is here the entire night."

"**I thought so too."** Grin paused as he took cover behind the podium. "**Probably** **switched during the announcement. Smart man**."

"What now? The bastard couldn't have turned tail and run out in this hell." Revy answered. "All the lifeboats were all blown up."

"**I thought I saw something weird when I saw him before the speech."** Rock answered out of the blue. "**A group of his men were bunched up behind the stage and went inside the cabins. They probably went to the safest place in the ship. His Room at the top floor."**

"That's our best bet." Revy replied.

**"You get their attention down there Grin**." Revy called in **"while I go around and take out the bastard myself."**

"Go." That was all Grin could say due to the intensity the gunmen fired after the smoke cleared. They were surrounding him from all sides, flanking and prevented him from moving.

Two men started climbing the stage as Grin was reloading his pistol. With no time to spare, he took out his Winchester from his back and shot one round at the intruders. The slug was so powerful that it tore through the man's chest and into the other guy, making them fall off stage.

With that section cleared, Grin made his move and jumped off the stage to the enemy's flank. He started shooting accurately and the men fell down like ninepins. Grin danced around the deck and used the tables and plants in front of him as cover.

The bodyguards thought the same but Grin's shotgun proved to be effective. Its large slugs easily penetrated the weak wooden cover and took them out. The slugfest just turned into a massacre.

The moment Revy ended communications with the others; two gunmen abruptly broke into the room. They fired relentlessly at Revy who was forced to abandon her rifle and jumped behind the bed for cover.

Feathers that flew all over the room as the gunmen shot indiscriminately. Revy fell on the floor on the foot of the bed. Upholstering her Cutlasses, she fired at their feet and the two fell to the ground before Revy finished them off with a bullet to their heads with ease before running out the door looking for her objective.

Revy encountered fewer gunmen halls as compared to the deck. Most thought that the action was there and most took off and left most of the halls vacant. It didn't make it that easier either however as the narrow corridors were filled instead of unarmed and panicking civilians

Revy had a hard time swimming through the sea of people. She punched and cursed as she pushed them away. The appearance of gunmen solved but at the same time added her problems.

The first shot sent the onlookers out of the way and opened the halls but at the same time did it in panic. The gunmen shot indiscriminately and hit some of the civilians and sometimes each other.

Revy used the opportunity to take them out point blank amidst the confusion. It reminded her a little bit of the Nazi's she killed in a previous job. They were like fish in a barrel for her. When all halls went silent with groaning and bleeding corpses, Revy blew the smoke from her Cutlasses and reloaded.

"Now that's over and done," Revy said to herself. "Where the hell is that Bastard?"

"Over here!" Rock called out from behind a corner. Grin barely made it to where he was before the gangsters fired at them again.

When the gunfire was minimized, Rock pulled at Grin and made way towards the inner corridors of the ship. They kept their heads down while moving from the ricocheting bullets whereas Grin fired back. They managed to take refuge by the kitchen area of the ship, away from the open field. They were safe for the time being.

"You called in Dutch yet?" Grin asked as he reloaded his guns.

The cloth covering his right eye was blown away during the firefight. Rock was shocked to find that part of his face as an empty hole with long scratches on his side. It scared him of Grin even more.

"Y-Yea. The Lagoon's on its way. Dutch said he'll be here in a minute" Rock said before he curled up to avoid getting shot. Amidst the ricocheting bullets, he noticed that Grin had multiple flesh wounds all over his body. "Hey! You're bleeding all over! Are you alright?"

"Don't have time to bleed." Grin replied as he reloaded. "Be useful." Grin tossed him a gun.

"No way!" Rock said, dropping the gun on his lap. "I'm no good with guns. And I don't want to start now."

Ever since he got into the life of a pirate, Rock never fired a gun nor had he ever taken a life. As far as his usefulness was in negotiating and planning, he was almost useless in a firefight.

Rock then saw Grin throw a bundle of grenades over from behind their cover. A mass of smoke and flare-ups erupted, scattering the grunts all over the deck. The explosion blew up 2 men and wounded 5. The latter were crawling on their knees and screaming in pain.

The explosion might have taken out some players but the firefight did not cease. Gunfire was still going off but at a reduced level.

"I admire your stand. Rock." Rock heard Grin say. The Reaper stopped shooting and looked at him with his red eye. The Reaper looked at him with concern. "But too naïve. I thought of the same once. Look where that got me. The world is hell. Let's see where it takes you. Being as you are. You might even end up. Worse than me."

Grin went silent after that and returned to the fight. Rock looked on at the Reaper in slight puzzlement. He wondered about what Grin's cryptic words meant and how it concerned him. Was it a warning?

"Our rides here!" Grin pulled at Rock and threw him off the deck before jumping down after him.

Rock's thoughts on the riddle were put on hold as he landed to the raging sea. He swam with all his strength towards the passing Lagoon boat and was welcomed by Dutch's helping hand. Grin followed afterwards.

"Welcome to the after party, boys." Dutch said while brandishing his gun. "Now where the fuck is Revy?"

"So that's where you're hiding." Revy snickered as she peered around a corner. She spotted the remaining gunmen retreat to a double door room at the end of the hall in haste.

"Keep running you fucking little piggies!" Revy yelled with glee. "The Big bad wolf is coming in!"

Revy tried kicking the door down a couple of times but it didn't budge by a bit. She then heard a clicking sound from the other side which made her run for cover. Bullets then started to fly out from those doors, blanketing the hallway with a barrage of lead.

Thankfully for Revy's sake, she managed to barge in to an empty room next to her just in time to avoid being turned to mincemeat. She curled up on the corner as a bombardment of lead filled the hallway. The sounds of shouting were muffled in Revy's ears.

The moment the barrage stopped, she bolted towards the severely weakened doors. The doors fell easily and showed the exposed gunmen in surprise. She shot them down one by one without hesitation until all that was left was the Chinese mobster.

"Wha-what d-do y-y-you want?" The man asked as he hid behind his desk, pissing himself in fear. The man wasn't as imposing as she was expecting for a Triad mob boss. He was just a shriveled up little yellow prick that everyone's afraid of being with. "J-just don't kill me! I'll give you w-w-whatever you want!"

"What the fuck? You're the guy that's taking a long hard time to kill?" Revy said with a raised eyebrow in incredulity and confusion. "Hell, you're not even worth my time!

No wonder Chang wants you dead! You're a fucking embarrassment to the Triads!"

She started shooting the table in fury, missing the man's head by an inch. The man then fell on the floor crying his eyes out. His mouth blabbed unintelligible words.

"Hey, show some backbone." Revy was starting to feel sorry for the poor bastard.

"C'mon, show some dignity before dying wills you? You little fuck"

"**Revy**!" Dutch called in through her radio "**Where the fuck are you? Things are getting heated up here and we gotta bail. Now!"**

"At the head honcho's room." Revy replied. She gave a disgusted look at the weeping mob boss. "Sorry bastards just a squealer. Fucking piss-ass."

"Well we'll tell Chang to be smarter when he picks his business partners." Dutch replied. There was a pause as sounds of bullets whizzing past and windows breaking in the radio. A flurry of gunfire followed before Dutch returned to the com. "**We're running out of time so finish the job and get on the boat." **

"Okay. Fiiiiine."Revy complained and then made a long sigh before pulling the trigger on the coward Chinaman's face. "Meet me at the lower starboard side. Give me 20 seconds."

She then bolted out of the room with haste. Fire spread all over the ship turning it into a blazing inferno. People scrambled all over the hallway while Revy bawled passed. She fired a few shots into the air to scare the people from getting on her way. She then jumped out of the window from an opposing room and managed to land safely into the escape boat.

"She's in. Let's go." Rock yelled. The Lagoon then sped out fast into the darkness of the sea leaving behind a swirling inferno of death and chaos.

No one spoke throughout the remaining trip back to the city. Everyone was clearly exhausted based on the unexpected turn of events. Dutch was focusing on the sea and Benny was watching the Radar for any potential trackers. Grin was back at his cabin alone patching and cleaning himself up of blood, both the enemy's and his own.

Rock and Revy in the other hand fell asleep next to each other in the hall. The others let them stay there because they looked adorable. Benny even took the moment to take a picture of the scene. They all soon got to their feet the moment they arrived back to the docks in Roanapur.

"Well. That could have gone better." Dutch said while keeping his usual cool attitude. "But I'm glad that it ended well. You did a good job tonight Grin. Hadn't felt that thrill since Tet." He held an open hand to him.

"The pleasure is all mine." Grin replied and shook Dutch's hand. "You and your team did their jobs well and exceeded my expectations. Especially you, Two-Hands."

Revy gave him a mock salute with a raised finger.

"Hey, if you need any help with other jobs you can give us a call." Rock said. "Just make sure we stick to a transport kind of deal. I don't think I can handle that kind of situation again."

Dutch nodded in approval. He considered the jobs they'll work with Grin would be worth the appeal and with his reputation of not failing a job, Dutch was mostly sure to put some trust in him. Despite some shortcomings, working with the Reaper would prove reliable for his business.

"I'll keep that in mind." Grin replied with a nod. "You have something to say Two Hands?"

"Nothin much." Revy replied with a shrug. She was hesitant from complimenting Grin for the success of the job. She gives him credit for that. "Just that I liked tonight's party gimmick. And…you didn't do much of a bad job yourself. For a stiff that is."

Revy had to admit it to herself; Grin earned some degree of her respect. She started to appreciate him as a coworker and his skills in the field. She wanted to say all that in a way but, Revy being Revy, she doesn't work well with making people feel good about their selves.

"Okay then." Grin replied as he unstrapped his metal arm and let it drop to the ground.

"Uhhh. Mind telling us what you're doing Grin?" Benny asked.

"After Chang unceremoniously put our fight on hold and bringing us together, I promised Two-Hands here for a rematch after finishing it." Grin said. Cracking his joints and pulling out a bullet from his flesh, he stood himself tall for a fight. "And I AM a man of my word."

"Haha. Fuck Yeah!" Revy answered with a sadistic smile. "I almost forgot."

"You guys sure you want to do this?" Rock interjected. "We just got back from a tough job and Grin, you're still bleeding. You guys sure you don't want to let this thing wait?"

"No." Revy and Grin said to him nonchalantly.

"This sure brings us back does it Benny boy." Dutch said as he leaned on the side of the cargo truck.

"You mean 3 weeks ago?" Benny snickered. "You want the usual bet? I'm for Revy."

"You're on." Dutch smiled.

"Ready to get your ass handed to you again Vader?" Revy said as she readied herself. "I don't mind you attaching that arm of yours. Yer gonna need all the help you can get."

"You wish." Grin replied. A fine stream of mist ejected itself from his mask before charging.

Write down in the comments who YOU think would win in the end of the fight and why. Stay tuned for more Grin The Reaper.


	8. Finding a calling

"AAAAaaaaaaghhhhh!" A man known only as Ervin bellowed. His voice echoed amidst a large space with rusted metal walls.

Lying on a cold metal slab of a table while naked, Ervin was helpless as a sound of a buzz-saw dug deep into his skin. The loud buzzing of the saw and the sound of flesh being squirmed deafened his piercing scream.

A thick pool of blood spread itself in the floor almost glowing in the midst of the dim light. Organs and spare limbs littered the corners. The smell of rotting and decay loitered in the air.

The cold chill of the evening night bit onto him and deepened his breath as he struggled. Bound on each corner with leather straps, his wrists bled red after desperately trying to wrench himself free. The straps also stretched him to the point that he could hardly resist.

Everything was gushing red. Blood spewed all over him and robbed him of his sight. Amidst the blurry of vague silhouettes, Ervin has seen all but a glimpse of his torturer. A peep was enough for Ervin to deduce the man's identity. The mask that it wore proved evident. He was under the gaze of the Reaper himself.

After what felt like an eternity of pain, his arm finally cuts lose and the saw finally ceased. Ervin gave a huge sigh and deep wheezing breaths. Beads of sweat poured down his cheeks despite the cold. His eyes grew wide when he saw the stump where his arm should be. Blood gushed out of it like a fountain as left over flesh hung from it.

"J-Jesus Fucking Christ!" Ervin hollered in terror. "My arm! My fucking arm! Y-you gotta fix it back on. Stop. Stop the bleeding. Oh, God! It's all over the place."

Looking back at the Reaper, Ervin saw him walk away with a brusque pace. He gave his torturer a look of hope as he watched the Reaper skim through his tools. Expecting the Reaper to fix him up, Ervin laughed hysterically at the fact that he was about to be saved.

Ervin's hopeful gaze turned to one of horror after the Reaper returned. Instead of carrying bandages and medicine for the wound, Ervin saw the Reaper carry instead a large blowtorch.

"W-wh-what the fuck are you doing?" Ervin thrashed from the table as he tried steering clear away from the mad doctor. "Get that fucking thing away from me! Please! Anything but tha-AAAAAAHHHHH!"

Like a dentist with ether, Grin held down his patient and poured fire at the gushing wound. The fire spread all over the stump and some over the man's shoulder but it did its work well. The wound has been cauterized and the bleeding did stopped. Grin released his exhausted victim before moving to a corner and cleaned his tools.

"What kind of torturer are you?" Ervin said with a dry and exhausted voice. "You didn't even ask me anything about my deals with the. With the Mafia. Not one thing. You just went ahead and cut my limbs off. What the fuck?"

"Don't care." Grin spoke like a growl without turning to the man. His voice was deep, gruff and indifferent. "Mafia's problem. Not mine. Just here for the pain. For my experiments. The truth will soon come."

Ervin laid speechless. Disbelieving at what he just heard. Apart from it being the first time hearing the Reaper's voice, it was what the cryptic words that were said that gave a cold shiver down his spine. The man didn't care about the Mafia's desires. He only saw him as a lab rat for his twisted experiments.

As he washed away the blood from his blades, Grin had to admit that he was impressed. Despite the trauma and the agony, the subject retains his sanity and will. He was curious to know as how the man could have lasted this long.

_Subject retains will despite physical and mental trauma._ Grin wrote down on his journal. _Despite it all, the man retains will and sanity. What causes it? __Strength? Brains? Or maybe just drugs. Yeah, probably just the drugs. More data needed. Proceeding to next faze of experiment._

"Now." Grin approached Ervin with a bundle of thin long needles and a blowtorch in tow. "You are in pain. Yes?"

"No shit." Ervin spat out. His teeth were pressing so hard on each other that it was on the verge of breaking.

"Stab you with these." Grin motioned to the needles. Looking at the man as if he was in a trance. "Nerves will be severed. Let me know if the pain ceases. Whether you do or not. Won't matter. The body does not tell lies."

Ervin's eyes grew wide as the Reaper started heating up the first needle. Immediately, he started telling him all that he new with a broken voice. From the drug deals, the whistleblowing, bribery, money laundering or even whom the other bosses were fucking, Ervin babbled out all of them once. He said anything and everything he knew just so that the Reaper would stop coming near him with those needles.

A small glimmer of hope shone in his eyes when he saw the Reaper stop on his tracks before he was about to imbed the first needle. It looked at him intently with his one eye. Ervin hoped that the Reaper got what he needed and was just bullshitting him about the experiment.

"Disappointing." The Reaper sighed. "Thought higher of you."

Plunging the needle into the skin, Ervin cried in pain. Struggle as he did, it was helpless as the leather straps still held him in place.

"The human body. Very interesting." Grin droned as he circled the man like a vulture. "Fights to stay alive. Has solutions for everything. Defiant. Very curious."

Stabbing him with the needles surgically, Grin watched at the reactions of Ervin. It was all done so quickly that the subject hardly made a peep during the procedure but retained his voice and sanity. Or what was left of it.

"Kill me." Ervin said, defeated.

"Wasn't hired to kill." Grin said as he heated up a new needle. "Not today."

The heavy metal doors of the room then opened and light broke out into view. It unsettled Ervin's eyes as it got used to the dark in such a short time.

"Ey Reaper! I've 'eard enough. You can stop now." a slick blonde haired Mafioso said.

The newcomer entered through the iron doors followed by two of his cohorts. With his young age, grey striped suit and thick Bronx accent, one wouldn't expect that the man would be the Don of the Italian Mafia, Ronnie 'the Jaws'.

His trademark braces that sparkled in the light as he gave the butchered man an evil smile.

"As much as I'd love to hear this sniveling rat getting gutted," Ronnie approached and spat at Ervin. "It's making me lose my appetite. I gots a date dis evening after all. Gotta keep my gusto in check."

"So soon?" Grin asked crossly. He had his blowtorch spew out bursts of flame in the air. "He can tell us more."

"I got enough info on this bastard to make up for my losses." Ronnie said as he was fiddling with his braces. "After hearing all 3 of them say the same shit, with added bonus on info, I am satisfied. I also liked at how you actually made their life a living hell for those guys too. It was almost like music to my ears."

"Why stop then?" Grin asked bluntly.

"I'm not an avid music lover." Ronnie said with grave eyes. "I didn't have you capture and mutilate the living shit out of these rats for your own enjoyment. I hired you to just to get the job done. No questions asked. No discussions. The guy said all that I wanted to hear. That's it. You do this all for my own benefits. Bottom line is, I own you. _Capisce?_"

"I belong to. **No one**." Grin growled darkly. His knuckles' crackling echoed in the room.

The Reaper's eye met Ronnie's with vicious intent. Ronnie felt the danger. It was almost as if he was facing the crosshairs of a sniper. His bodyguards already had their hands on their guns but sweated from behind their tinted shades.

"Fortunate of you." Grin growled. His eye peeked at the clock. It was 5 to 9. He then turned back to packing his tools. "I'm still under your employ."

"Bronco, Molleti." Ronnie motioned to his guards. "Take that bastard down. Bring him in the back."

Ronnie himself gave out a sigh of relief. He had faced the eyes of the beast despite being in his own fortress and lived. As cunning and brutal as Ronnie was, he was still familiar with the feeling of fear and experiencing the eyes of death up close. He lit himself a cigarette to calm himself down.

"Jesus Christ." Molleti complained. Doing his best not to hurl, he hesitantly began dragging the barely living man out the door. "This is worse than what those Twins cooked up last time."

"Put a cork in it Moletti." Ronnie chastised as they passed him. "Else I have our friend Grin here do ya next."

"Yea boss. Sorry."

"Anyway. Your money's waitin for ya upstairs." Ronnie told Grin with a quick pat in the back. "You've been a big help for me today. But hey, a quick word of advice. Count yourself lucky also cuz you damn near came this close in pissing off one of the few people here who could send you packing for the other side. _Capisce_?"

Before Grin went on towards the door, he motioned to the guards that were dragging the man for a quick second. Digging in his pockets, he took out a simple _Baht _coin. He lightly shoved it inside the man's mouth and gave it a quick pat.

"You earned it." Grin whispered before making for the door..

A gunshot rang in the corridors after a few minutes after. Grin exited the premises of the basement and was welcomed by the smoke filled air of the outside world.

Grin felt a little downtrodden as he walked down the streets. He regretted not getting to experiment more on the man more before the Mafia barged in spoiling his fun. 3 bodies and seemingly endless hours of chopping and cutting just wasn't enough to satisfy him.

On the bright side, he received a handsome pay for his services. A man needs to eat after all and he isn't cheap to hire. Thankfully, there was a large demand for his services and so there was a lot to live by.

Grin had no great desire for money but he did put it to good use. Apart from the usual necessities, restocks of supplies, and maintenance Grin got himself a new flat. One of many.

Discreetly purchasing them through the use of proxies, Grin procured various safe houses all over the city which. He moves and visits them at random a few times a week as to confuse spies. No more will he be subjected to the prying eyes of the City's gods. It kept the myth behind the shroud of the Reaper alive as a ghost and a boogeyman of the underworld.

This oddity protected him from spies and prying eyes of various gangs. It also kept the illusion of the Reaper as a myth alive as a ghost and a boogeyman of the underworld.

Simply put, Grin preferred his privacy.

Arriving in one of his flats, Grin changed out of his stained clothes before going out again a few minutes later for dinner.

Finding himself a fine meal in a near empty restaurant, he ate silently in the secluded part of the room. The servers approached him with caution and hesitated to come any nearer than a foot from him. The other customers eyed him with astonishing curiosity for a moment before returning to their own company.

Nonetheless, Grin left in peace and left a few minutes later after leaving a huge tip.

Grin made his way to a random bar a few blocks away. Once in a while he would stop and turn to his back as though he was followed. Most of the time he was greeted only by startled passersby but apart from that he was alone.

Ordering a bottle of whiskey, Grin drank it down with deep droughts. Same as with the restaurant, Grin was left in peace by the other patrons.

As he drank, Grin began to realize something. He noticed that he has been doing the same thing repetitively every day after finishing a job and awaiting for the next one. Grin began to realize that he had no life beyond being the Reaper. There was no life for Grin the person.

Grin was always aware of that thought but he always forgets it whenever he was in the moment of the thrill. The thrill to kill, as he puts it. Normalcy and inaction was a tedious affair for him. He was desperate to get a hobby, but what can he do since killing is all he knew.

Perhaps some fresh air to help clear his mind – and his alcohol. Thoughts swimming in his head as he wandered going who knows where. His muffled mechanical breath was his only company as it echoed in the alleyways.

It wasn't long before a shuffling of steps was heard in front of Grin. From the shadows revealed a skinny mugger with a rusty pistol.

"Hey ugly! Give me your-urk!" the man choked.

Grin, with a bored expression, crushed the man's neck effortlessly. Grin looked into the man's eyes as it soon turned white and kicked what little life was left in it's foul body.

To Grin's surprise, the man unexpectedly fired a round before falling limp. The man finally died and fell kneeling on the ground. His empty eyes stared blankly to the crescent moon.

Checking on himself, no blood seeped on his body but a faint hiss tickled his ear. To his displeasure, the million dollar bullet managed to hit his last reserve of gas. The bullet must have ricocheted from the wall when the man fired and hit it straight on.

Another inch then it would have hit a vital artery. Talk about lucky. Though Grin was glad that he won't be bleeding in the middle of a dirty alley way, he was in a bad position when he runs out of gas in an hour or so. He didn't want to have a seizure in the middle of the streets at night. Especially not in the city of Roanapur.

_Just a block left._ Grin thought. His pace quickened as he made his way down the street. He was doing his best to control his breathing as to avoid losing any more of the gas he had left.

_God damn it._ Grin thought in near panic. _Next time I'll buy me a motorcycle_.

He arrived to his usual hospital on the East side of the town, near the docks. Its white painted walls were all dirtied up with rust, yellowed with piss and tagged with multiple graffiti. It may look like a dump for most, but it was the only place good enough where Grin bought his stock of his anesthetic gas.

"Hello there again Grin." The old cantankerous Doctor called as soon as Grin entered the lobby. "Let's talk in my office."

Grin passes by there once a week and made good rapport with its workers despite the usual uneasiness of the introduction. The only person who he got along there was the aging Head Doctor Miura.

Apart from him there were only 3 other staff members in the hospital: There was Clara the nurse, Jeff and Terry the assistants. They were odd people but good people. It seems like, apart from the Lagoon Company, Grin managed to find some acceptance in this group.

"Doc." Grin nodded as he entered the premises.

The other staff members nodded in welcome with a hint of small smiles. They have not gotten used to Grin's presence in the hospital but they have started to open up to him more in his weekly visits.

"Didn't expect you here this early, man." Terry said with an open hand in greeting. "You used up what the doc gave you for the week?"

"Yeah. Looks like it." Grin replied and shook hands with the young African lad. "Had a rough week. Might need more. Next time."

"Hehe. Well, Roanapur is that kind of bitch. I'll get Jeff to get you a new batch. Just stay put."

"I still don't understand how you could handle large doses of those, Grin my boy." Dr. Miura said as he hobbled towards Grin. "You are quite the piece of work. Most would die with that poison of yours in the long run."

"Am not like most people. Doc." Grin shrugged.

"So it seems." Miura smiled. He was no less pretty showing his teeth to him. "I can't wait to look into that anytime soon. In any case, follow me. We'll get you what you need."

"Need a lift. Gramps?" Grin mocked as they walked down the dim lit halls.

"Bah!" Miura snapped. "I have no need to be coddled, boy. I may be old but I am not helpless. You should have seen me a few years back. What a fighter I have been. Oh how the times changed."

"Sounds like ancient history."

"Hehehe!" Miura chuckled. "Quite the smart-ass are we tonight, Grin. So what happened to you tonight that you ended up breaking one of your canisters? I do say that you have a lucky one here. A few more inches, it would have hit your—"

"Artery. I know." Grin interrupted. "No details. Just chopped up bodies. Torture. The usual."

"You know, Grin." Miura said. "I could actually have you work here. You could put your knife skills and attention to detail to good use. Hell! I'll even pay you just to be around to keep druggies out of my porch. What do you think?"

"Hmmm." Grin pondered. Perhaps a hobby wouldn't hurt. A hospital would also give him a lot of room for his _experiments _behind closed doors.

Before Grin could say an answer, a high-pitched screaming echoed in the halls of the hospital. Miura sprang into action and briskly hobbled back to the lobby. Grin followed. Walking soundlessly behind the doctor. The sound of breaking glass, tables crashing off and fighting echoed along the corridors as it happened.

As Miura barged through the double doors, he saw his lobby in disarray. There were 6 druggies scattered throughout the room and tearing at anything they could touch. Glass were broken and furniture were toppled amidst their howls and cries.

Terry lay on the floor with his arms on his head as 2 men were beating him up senselessly. 2 were raiding the pantry for medicine, syringes and drugs while the other was looting the registers. Clara hid from view under the counter table with some patients who cowered in fear. Jeff was nowhere in sight.

The last raider spotted Miura and Grin and pointed his gun at them threateningly as he approached. His eyes were bloodshot and spit slobbered from his mouth.

"Goddamn junkies!" The doctor cursed. With lightning speed, he raised his cane at the junkie and blasted him with a slug that tore a 5-inch hole on the man. "You fucked with the wrong doctor."

At the sound of the gunshot, the looters dispersed and went to cover. Those with guns aimed their guns at Miura and fired at the aging doctor. Jeff appeared out of nowhere and pushed the doctor out of the way. Terry crawled out to safety amidst the chaos.

Fragments of wood and stone filled the air as the looters fired blindly. Jeff and Miura timed their moves took turns emerging from cover and fired back. The sereneness of the Hospital was engulfed in chaos and blanketed itself in lead.

Grin, who indifferently watched the action from the side, pulled the fire alarm next to him. A loud ringing bell erupted and caught the looters off guard. The sprinklers on the roof went off and a torrent of rain obscured everyone's vision.

Amid the distractions, Grin grabbed a junkie from behind and threw him to the ceiling into the light. The junkie immediately got electrocuted amidst the sparks. His feet twitched and kicked wildly as the air began smelling like burnt flesh.

The looters were in shock at the sudden appearance of the Reaper in their midst. His red eye glowed amidst the dark silhouette and the water. They looked at him stupidly and gave Grin enough time to take out his gun and blast one point-blank in the face.

Before Grin could finish off the rest, the largest junkie reacted fast and punched Grin in the face before goring him to the ground. Grin's pistol flew off his hand as the brute continued pummeling him uncontrollably.

With his gauntlet, Grin launched it at the brute's chest. The point-blank blast launched the man off of him and flew across the room.

Before Grin could get to his feet, a junkie fired at him as he charged. A few bullets grazed him but Grin managed to roll out of the way as bullets hit the floor next to him. It was a smart move and saved him the trouble of digging for bullets inside him later.

The junkie unexpectedly went limp and fell to the floor with a bullet in the neck. Whether it came from Miura or Jeff, Grin couldn't spare time to check as a looter hit him with a piece of wood in the back. Oddly enough, instead of feeling the usual numbness, Grin felt the wood shatter on his back. He felt the pain that came with it.

Time started to slow around him and a strange sensation crawled all over him. Pain. Despite the water spraying on him it did little to halt the burning fire that agonized under his skin. Grin fell forward in agony as the looter hit him again. Each hit felt like an explosion in his chest.

To add fire to the already burning pain, the brute interfered into the fray. Pushing his cohort out of the way, he gave punched Grin and. threw him into the storage room. Without the gas to hold the pain at bay, Grin felt as though his bones were break. Struggling to stand, Grin took a deep breath and watched venomously at the brute in front of him. To his horror, he was out of gas. He was potentially fucked.

Thrown and beaten senselessly by the brute, Grin could do nothing amidst the onslaught. The seizures from the pain prevented him from any respite against his opponent. The large man seemed to notice this and took advantage of this and threw him across the room.

Grin struggled to retain his senses and tried to survive the beating. Every hit were as heavy as steel. His body ached amidst the pain and was inflamed. The sight became a blur and everything else became numb in throbbing pain.

Terry came to the rescue and tackled the brute off of the Reaper. He was more of a brawler than a fighter. He shouted and cursed wildly after every hit and exchanged blows with the much bigger brute. Inevitably the brute began overpowering Terry and

A brief respite. That was all it took for Grin to get back to his senses. The pain was still there, suffocating his body. As bruised and broken as he was and with agony stabbing him all over, his anger slightly overruled it.

Grin's usual calm demeanor disappeared. There was only fury residing in him. Only the instinctive nature remained. He craved for blood. He desired to murder, to kill, and to brutally maim anyone who could come close. Most of all, he wanted to tear apart the brute who would dare overpower the Reaper!

His timing for a comeback was impeccable. The brute had just finished his quick bout with Terry and stood victorious. He looked tired, the brute but a man desperate for a hit is not a reasonable person to handle. Simply seeing the Reaper clumsily get up to his feet gave him enough confidence to fight another round.

Grin transformation was clearly visible to the eyes of the brute. A pang of fear treaded from his face. The aura around the Reaper was volatile. Poisonous. Before he could react or run, the Reaper was already on top of him.

It was all over before it started. The staff were the only witnesses to the savagery and brutality of that the Reaper imbued to the brute. They couldn't even describe the horror as they as Grin went on a berserk rampage that tore the brute apart and sent it's pieces scattered all over the room.

The Reaper breathed as though it struggled for air. He stood above the unrecognized corpse like a predator who has just killed its prey. No one moved, in fear of getting attacked.

The last remaining junkie in fear made a run for it. Grin caught sight of the poor man and tackled him to the wall and slammed his head to the window. He continued smashing the man's head to the glass. Breaking it piece by piece till it shattered and the man fell limp.

Victorious, Grin fell to the floor unconscious.

A familiar taste soon came across his mouth and the pain disappeared along with it. His eyes soon met with the innocent eyes of a very frightened young nurse.

"Mr. Reaper! I gave you a quick dose so I think that it's enough." Clara said frantically. "So please get up! The doctor got shot! We need your help! Please, hurry!"

Grin delayed himself for a minute. Breathing heavily, he began to feel the gas spread in his system. Slowly, the pain subsided and Grin could think clearly again. The only trouble was that his body was in bad shape. His leg was dislocated and his movement was limited due to the bruises and minor wounds.

"Can't you do it?" Grin asked dully.

"I-I'm afraid of blood!" Clara said, her cheeks went red in embarrassment.

"Really? Some doctor." Grin said sarcastically as he snapped his leg into place. "With me."

"You" Grin pointed at Jeff. "Watch over Terry."

"He's hit in the lower chest on the right side right under the lung area. Not sure if it hit any vitals but there is a lot of blood pouring out." Clara said erratically. "His breathing is also going heavy so it's hard to tell if he's hit in the lung or not. He's also not moving as much. I'm afraid we wont have much time!"

"He's like that. Cuz he's old." Grin growled sharply. "Don't worry though. I'll take care of him. I think."

Limping towards the doctor, Grin held down gauze on the Miura's chest. With some duct tape, he tied it around the man's body to halt the bleeding as they move him. With some effort, he carried the Doctor over his arm and limped to the nearest operating room.

Clara saved Grin the trouble of wasting time giving orders. She was smart enough to attach a respirator on the doctor and gather the needed tools for the operation. Washing blood and grime off his hands, Grin prepared for the operation.

Grin was no licensed doctor, but he was well versed when it comes to human bodies. Apparently, all those torturing and experiments gave him enough ideas on how bodies work let alone fix them. Though he is still unsure that he can save Miura with these skills – and the fact that the man was a dinosaur – now seemed to Mbe a perfect time to do so.

The amateur surgeon strapped the old man to the bed and began injecting him with anesthesia. The strain in Miura's face became much more calmer, his spasms began to cease and his breathing became more serene despite the blood.

With scalpel, he carefully cut open the flesh around the wound. Carefully cutting in and widening the wound, Grin applied the tweezers and began digging into the wound. His hands were shaking not of pain, but in injury. Even with the gas holding the pain in bay, it still made his vision and actions very hazy.

Time flew slow as Grin operated on the doctor. He was careful with his moves. Calculating every step as though he was on his Hitman jobs. Sooner than most, he got hold of the bullet and slowly got it out.

The work was halfway done after that. Grin poured hemostat on the wound. A clean bandage was then applied tightly on the wound and with a quick pat on the doctor, the operation was done.

"Thank you." Whispered the old man, showing his missing teeth with a smile.

This was the first time Grin had ever intentionally saved a life and of all people, it was this old man who could die at any minute. It was quite odd indeed for Grin, he the Reaper, the killer and brutal psychopath just prevented another soul for Death his master.

He then realized that this was Grin the person who did this and not the Reaper. There was more to him than the mask. Grin liked this discovery. Saving lives and such. He also just realized that he found himself a new hobby in between.

"Want me to stick around? Be good for your…business." Grin asked the crabby old man. The old geezer simply nodded in agreement. "Good enough."

"Hey Grin!" Jeff came into the room fast. He took a brief moment to smile and find the old doctor doing well. "One of the junkies is still alive. What do you want us to do with him?"

"Hmmmm." Grin wondered. No one could tell, but Grin smiled inside his mask. What a perfect opportunistic day it is for him. "To the basement. I'll 'take care' of. _Him_."


	9. Surprises

The hospital would already be considered by most as an eerie place due to its lack of human presence. The halls remain empty for most of the day and would send a chill crawling one's spine due to its desolate state.

People pass by through though with the most creative of afflictions. Most patients would come in with bullet holes, cuts and bruises. Some would require surgery and stay for the night. But most pass away by the next day.

The course of the night shift simply added to its already frightening reputation. The creaking of old windows and the dripping of pipes echo in the halls. Ominous figures dance in the dark under the flickering lamps. Everything else is up to the patient's imagination.

Patients who were unfortunate enough to spend a night in the ominous hospital were faced a new form of terror. Sounds of low moans and faint screaming hound their ears in the night. It resonated from the vents and kept them awake till the break of dawn. They claim it as fact yet were disbelieved as simple dreams and suffered through the horror the next evening.

Little did they know that under their very feet, beneath the marble and concrete floor, past the pipes and the vents, in the very bottom of the said hospital was an mysterious room.

It was dark, dim with little light and damp with small puddles of water, slime and blood. Large enough to have quarters and room to breath and isolated enough to avoid suspicion.

Within that very room, stood a man busy with his work. His tools lay at his side, damp with fresh meat. In front of him was a metal table, rusted with age but sturdy enough to carry the full weight of a fresh corpse that lie on it. The corpse flickered its eyes with what life it had left as it watched its' masked demon walk away. The sound of running water came next.

Grin was thankful to how the cantankerous Head Doctor was kind enough to give him a place where he could work in solitude. He was given leave to work there as long as there were no more tasks to be done in the day.

The effort it took cleaning the place up though must have been a joke planned by the old man from the start. Nonetheless, the once cluttered room soon became a tidy and efficient workplace where Grin can do his 'experiments' in peace.

The arrangement suited the other staff as well since they could not stand the mere presence of Grin. They did not hate him nor held him in contempt. Rather, they were grateful of how Grin saved them as well as how he kept the hospital safe from bandits and junkies.

The Reaper's surprising skills with being a doctor had increased the efficiency of the hospital and increased their renown. Yet, they simply felt uncomfortable and afraid to be around him. Being a deranged yet composed lunatic just did not suit well with them. Not that it bothered the latter.

_Procedure requires closer attention to. _Grin wrote on his journal. _Use of heated razors for experiment? Possible. _

As Grin mused on the possibilities, he placed his hands upon his mask. A gust of gas escaped its confinement as he removed it and filled the room for a moment with foul smelling air. The pain would not crawl in till after a few minutes, so Grin took the time to clean the blood off his mask.

As soon as he did, he smelled something rotten. He kept the leftover bodies in the freezer so he was sure that it didn't come from those. The body he left on the table died just died recently so it couldn't have also come from that.

Grin's thought on the subject was quickly forgotten as soon as a doorbell tersely rang.

"Didn't expect them to come this early." Grin said to himself. He put his mask back on and made for the door. "Might as well let them in. Cleaners."

Roanapur's infamous Cleaners were always a common sight in the destitute city. Like housemaids, these immoral Cleaners would clean after the messes of every game played in the streets. Their presence was necessary as to keep the image of Roanapur a secret from those who plan to bring order to the corrupt city.

Even before Grin started working in the hospital, the Cleaners were usual patrons. The hospital always had a heavy body count due to the underfunded hospital's 'medieval' treatments. As much as Grin appreciated the help the Cleaners provided, he still dislikes how they arrive at the worst of times.

As soon as he opened the door Grin came face to face with the Cleaner, but it wasn't a Cleaner he knew. He saw a short person in loose scrubs. A mess of black hair protruded from its head under a white bandana. Tinted goggles and a surgical mask obscured its face and a large chainsaw was strapped to it's back.

What made this particular Cleaner even more odd was the smell it emitted. The source of the smell of rotting dead from earlier turned out to come from this very Cleaner. Grin was used to the smell of death and gunpowder but this Cleaner had the feel of actually bathing in it as the Grin could smell it even with his mask.

"You're new. Where's the other guy?" Grin asked.

The person didn't answer. It dug into its pockets and took out an Ultravoice. The Cleaner raised its head, revealing a long scar on its throat and placed the machine on it.

"**Dead… took…over his…shift. "** the Cleaner answered with a ghastly electric voice of a female. "**Pleasure to meet you….Reaper. Name's…Sawyer."**

"Sawyer the Cleaner?" Grin said skeptically.

Everyone in the city talked about this particular Cleaner. Under the employ of Mr. Chang himself, she made the Triad into a name to be reckoned with through her skills of making mince meat out of their rivals. As good as the story went, it didn't mention that the infamous Cleaner was just a little girl with a chainsaw.

"I expected you to be taller."

"**Fuck you…" **Sawyer replied with a finger.

"Ooookay then," Grin awkwardly replied. "The bodies are inside the freezer on your right."

Grin made his way back to his operating table and continued his work. He did not look back at what the Cleaner was doing. Neither did the Cleaner said anything back nor take notice of his experiments. They stayed in their own little worlds and interacted no further. As soon as she finished, the Cleaner left the premises without another word.

_Sawyer, _Grin thought deeply. _Also knew a Sawyer once, a long time ago. Rest in peace little one._

Thunderous footsteps from the ceiling abruptly woke Grin up the next day. The sounds of shouting came echoing through the vents. The clock above him stated 1:24 in the afternoon. Despite being in the confines of the very hospital he worked in, he was still late. Grin could only imagine the sermon the old man Miura would give him.

"Ah! I was about to come get you. Time to work Grin!" The old man said the moment Grin exited the elevator. He tossed at him surgical scrubs and a medical mask at his face.

"Why do I have to wear this again?" Grin complained.

"People are scared of doctors already." Dr. Miura chortled with his toothy smile. "I don't want you scaring them anymore than they already are." The old man then limped away down the hall.

Grin eyed the old man with malice. He would have preferred to let the man die than succumb to this humiliation. As much as he enjoyed being finding a stable job and aa hobby on the side, he hated wearing the uniform.

The looseness of the coat made him looked stupid on him. It also slightly itched. Not allowed to use his gas mask on the job, he had to instead wear a simple medical mask.

An hourly dose of anesthetics helped take out the pain but it always left him with some uneasiness though it helped him get the job done. And in place of his cloth eye patch he had to wear tinted goggles. The latter of which was the only part he liked about the uniform.

"You mind telling me though who the loudmouth from upstairs?" Grin called out before Dr. Miura was out of distance.

"Oh him?" Dr. Miura scratched at his balding head. "Just some banged up mob boss Lobos dragged in. Elvis was his name or something. Fresh from Florida apparently."

"And that's important how?"

Laughing under his mustache, he slapped at his knee. "Because the stupid bastard didn't know shit started a fucking gunfight at the Rip off Church. Got his ass handed to by them not long after! HAHAHAHAHA!" The doctor kept laughing hysterically as he hobbled away.

During his rounds in the hallway, Grin happened to come across to the very room that the old doctor mentioned. There were 2 bodyguards posted by the door. A man with an unusual fashion sense and style exited the patient's room. The man wore cowboy attire with large sunglasses and a Colt Peacemaker revolver just to complete the costume. The very sight of him made Grin cringe. He reminded him of the costumed wannabes in Vegas.

"You look like a hard hitter." The cowboy called out to Grin when he noticed him. He spoke with a thick southern drawl. "How'd you like to work with us for easy money?"

"How much?" Grin asked. Interested.

"A $1000. How about it? Just gonna get back an Indian girl who tried getting away." The man replied with a proud face

"No." Grin walked past the man without looking. Disappointed. As boring as a slow day was for Grin in the hospital, he wouldn't waste his time for something as cheap as that.

"Don't you turn your back on me you sonofabitch!" The man growled and grabbed Grin by the shoulder. Grin reacted fast and seized the man's hand and twisted before pinning him to the wall.

"You however, I'd kill for free." Grin whispered without looking back at him. He let the man go with a shove and had him fall to the ground. The cowboy left the premises with his tail between his legs.

The rest of the noon was as slow as before. Grin was equally unlucky. The one time that no one came by the hospital was the same day he didn't have any job contracts from anyone. Most of the time the staff had was spent in the lounge where they stayed and chilled. Grin took no part in their animated conversations as he kept to himself in the basement and proceeded with his experiments.

The faint scent of a familiar odor soon emitted in the air. It was the smell of smoke with a fiery sensation of death. Even in the basement area, Grin could also smell the fire. He ceased his activities and made his way topside.

"Is something burning?" Grin asked the staff.

"Yeah." Terry replied. Motioning to the window, they all saw a bright fire emanating from the docks. A silhouette of a burning building made the darkened streets glow. The smoke was immense that it almost covered the star lit sky. The sound of faint gunfire echoed around it.

"That's the Lagoon Company building burning isn't it?" Jeff asked. "You mentioned one time that you worked a job with them."

"That it is." Grin said. "Those poor bastards."

"Who? The Lagoon?"

"No. The idiots raiding it." Grin stated. He felt confident that the Lagoon Company could handle a simple fire. _They just got back from Japan and already they've burnt half the city down._

"Well then children," Dr. Miura cracked his knuckles. "It's time to get to work."

"Work?" Jeff asked with a stupid look. "Why?"

"Cuz of people get injured in large fires. They'll come running to us." Dr. Miura assured. "They'll be here shortly."

True to his word, it didn't take long before a large group of wounded goons came barging through the hospital doors. The damage on these people was horrendous. With them came burnt flesh, missing limbs and bleeding bullet wounds that littered the lobby. Their noise erupted throughout the hospital as all cried for help.

As would the hungry would run to the sound of the dinner bell, Grin and the staff jumped into action.

The entire evening was spent on accommodating the wounded that came pouring into the hospital. The halls were littered with blood and wounded people. They checked in with mutilated limbs from small arms fire and/or explosives. Rooms filled up so quickly, that they had to use the cafeteria for the wounded.

The sheer enormity of the situation had the staff call the assistance of the patients who were strong enough to stand. Some weren't so lucky and simply slumped on the walls and died, waiting for a chance to get picked up by the Cleaners.

Amputation seemed to be the staple medical doctrine in hospitals around these parts as the hospital staff sawed off mutilated limbs off their patients. The sheer enormity of the bodies had most of their blades blunted on the next hour.

Grin could hardly keep track of the shrapnel, bullets and limbs he tore out of people that night. Some just required treatment on their burns or stitches but some still required immediate surgery. The attention that the staff had to go through with the latter had most of the lightly wounded people wait around or patch themselves up.

One of the last ones to arrive that night stood out from the rest as they made quote an odd sight. There was a man with odd silver hair, tinted shades and a large trench coat that dragged behind his feet. He carried with him a Chinese woman over his shoulder. The woman wore an elaborate outfit that was littered with blood from gunshot wounds. She held a pair of sharp _kukri_ blades that hung by her hands. The other being dragged behind by the man was a young girl in dark gothic attire. but she kept her face hidden in a fetal position. The man appeared to have dragged the latter.

"Can I help you?" Grin approached as he gave himself another shot of painkillers.

"Yes if you will." The silver haired man replied in a stylish manner. "I am the great Lotton 'The Wizard' and we have just come from a battle of epic proportions that left us all scarred. My good lady friend here requires the upmost—"

"I got it." Grin interrupted as he noticed that the Chinese woman was about to lose consciousness. The woman couldn't survive another monologue.

"Jeff! Clara! Get over here!" Grin called at the loitering staff. "Jeff, take—" Grin snapped his fingers at Lotton.

"Uh, Shenhua." Lotton replied

"Shenhua to the operation room. Give her some sedatives, douse her with alchohol then start taking out those bullets then stitching. Carefully this time."

"Roger Wilco." Jeff smothered his smoke by the window. He then started to move the woman to the emergency room.

"Clara," Grin turned to the sheepish girl. "Go to the blood bank and prepare a bag of Type O+ since she's Chinese. And don't pass out at the sight of it again."

The young girl gave a curtly nod and made her way out. Grin was caught off guard by the authority he held over the staff and he felt that they opened up to him as well after this night. Before Grin could excuse himself and go to the other patients the other girl with Lotton was still in a fetal position on the corner.

"Uh, what's wrong with her?" Grin asked with a raised eyebrow. He kneeled down to get a closer diagnosis. "No gunshot wounds, few bumps, yes. But no serious wounds…"

"She wasn't as far as I know" Lotton interrupted. "She just happened be like that when I found her. I think it started when she lost her Ultravoice because I don't see it with her anymore."

"Ultravoice?" It took a moment for Grin to realize that the girl was Sawyer 'the Cleaner'. It was the same little Cleaner who passed by his 'workshop' yesterday. He tried moving her so as he could check up on any injuries and wounds but she wouldn't budge. He was also curious with what she looked like under her mask. All he got from the Goth girl in turn was tears and a stubborn attitude.

"Melancholia. I'll just give her some antidepressants then she'll be alright for a while." Grin told Lotton. He gave up on prying her open since he had no time to waste on an uncooperative person.

Turning to Sawyer, Grin said, "Come by whenever you're better and less stubborn for a check-up." Grin said no more to the girl and went back to work with the other patients.

The hospital finally managed to quiet down after a while. The patients were all stabilized and the only work left was to clean up the mess that was left behind. Everyone expected the excitements to have ended by then but it showed itself differently after a last visitor arrived.

"Looks like you all had overtime tonight." Boss Chang commented after observing the muddle that was yet to be cleaned. "You'd put Auschwitz to shame with this mess."

The entire staff stood thunderstruck at the appearance of the Triad boss. None dared to think or say anything of why he has come to them at this hour. They could only guess that someone was going to die that night due to the number of men the boss man had with him.

"What are you doing here Chang?" Grin said as he entered the room. He was wearing his gas mask again since there were no more patients to attend but still in uniform since there was more work to be done. He kept the tinted goggles though.

"Didn't expect to see you here." Chang replied. "You work here now?"

Grin simply nodded in approval.

"HA! That's a laugh. You are a match with Rock when it comes to weirdness." Chang said in an amused tone. "Remind me to give him a call Biu whenever I'll need a checkup. Hahahaha!"

"What are you doing here Chang?" Grin repeated.

"We are here for a man named Elvis who we heard was staying here. Don't worry though, we aren't gonna do anything to you since you're just doing your jobs. But we are gonna make him disappear because of all the trouble he caused us tonight. You of all people would understand this right?"

"Yes." Grin replied. "But we can't give him to you."

"Do you mind bringing that by me again?" Chang said with a solemn tone. The men behind him took out their weapons on queue.

"Just a company policy." Grin crossed his arms and remained calm and adamant. The atmosphere started to become more intense between the two men. The other staff members could not say a word due to the tension. "That man Elvis, despite being a pain in the ass, is under OUR jurisdiction and thus cannot be touched by you or other powers without our consent. We can't have our own reputation be tarnished by having someone tell us what to do? And don't think that your guns intimidate me. I've dealt with plenty worse." Grin cracked his knuckles. He always wanted to know how true the stories say about Chang personally.

"And what can I do to have your approval?" Chang said in a calmer voice which increased the tension.

"Pay me. Pay me to kill him. You won't even need to trouble yourself. The man IS worth something yes?" Grin held out a hand to Chang.

The boss man took a moment to himself to calculate the situation. Chang knew that he has a chance in beating the Reaper himself but in the end would prove more trouble than it was worth. Simply giving the man what he wanted would be more beneficial than having the Reaper as an enemy. Chang begrudgingly accepted Grin's hand and shook on agreement. "Done."

With a snap of his fingers the men sheathed their weapons. The intensity then ended allowing everyone a chance to breath. One of the gangsters passed a suitcase of money to the staff before making preparations to leave along with the rest.

"I like your style Grin. You are as ruthless in making deal as you are at what you do." Chang said. His shades were tilted low which showed Grin the seriousness of his being. "I'm quite impressed but you are to be careful though. I'm not the type to be fucked with. You might not be so lucky next time."

"I count on it." Grin replied, his eyes meeting Chang's. "Now if you'll excuse me now, I got a patient to check up on."

The next evening, a UG Pork truck parked itself in the back of the hospital for its daily pick up. Sawyer paused for a moment after turning off the engine. She breathed out a deep breath before composing herself and disembarking her vehicle.

The passing day had been a very bothersome one for her. The loss of her Ultravoice made an empty hole in her heart. It was her voice. It was her window to the outside world. Without it, she was a complete wreck and broken. Nonetheless, Sawyer persevered and proceeded the day collecting corpses and chopping them up in her abattoir without incident.

Chopping up bodies, whether in the streets or in the confines of her abattoir, gave her some comfort. It made her forget of her troubles and moved through the day finishing her beloved work. Despite all that, she is still painfully reminded of her loss of her precious Ultravoice and brooded throughout the day.

The Hospital was her last pick up for the night. Sawyer thought of the Reaper as she approached. She was not in the mood to see him again nor was she in the mood to be insulted again since last time.

Sawyer came close to running him through with her chainsaw that time but thought better of it. It was better to get the corpses and leave without another word as to avoid getting ticked off more. She planned to do so again tonight.

"Nice to see you again." Grin called out when he saw the little Cleaner from the doorway. "Did the antidepressants work?"

Sawyer simply nodded to him before continuing on her way. When she passed under the Reaper's gaze, she did not give him the consideration of looking back.

"That's all good to know." Grin said. He stopped Sawyer on her step. "But before you start packing, I got something for you that just might help."

Grin saw the Cleaner give him a look of confusion after hearing what he said. He could only chuckle at how gullible she looked. Digging into his pockets, he took out a small box. It was the kind of box where watches would be kept.

"Here." Grin handed out the gift to Sawyer.

Sawyer was hesitant at first. She eyed him carefully and thought for a while before slowly taking the gift from Grin's hands. Tearing off the wrapper and opening the box, her eyes glowed when she saw what it was. Inside the box was a new Electrolarynx that included a strap for a choker.

Tears formed under Sawyer's eyes at the sight of her voice. Wiping out the joyful tears out of her eyes she quickly tried putting it on her. Removing her goggles and her mask from her face, she eagerly put on the choker on her neck. Adjusting the voice to her liking, she felt happy to hear her 'voice' after such a long and arduous day.

"**Thank you…"** Sawyer said with delight. **"You're not…such a bad…guy after-all…Reaper."**

"You're not so bad yourself, Fred-Fred." Grin bowed in reply before turning around and focused back the corpse he was working on.

_I had a good feeling that it was you, Sawyer. _Grin mused. _After all this time huh?..._

Before Grin could react, the sound of a chainsaw roared behind him. Turning quickly at the commotion, he saw Sawyer lunge at him at full speed. Her once happy and teary eyes were now filled with one full of malice and hate.

A/N: After a long wait, the story continues at a new turn.

I am a big fan of **Just Another Soul **and **Amigodude**'s works and I write this as a tribute to their works most notably their stories on Sawyer the Cleaner. I hope that they enjoy this as much as I enjoyed writing this.


	10. Old Times

The deafening roar of the chainsaw pervaded the room as Sawyer charged forward, swinging the weapon madly. The unexpected turn caught Grin off guard and kept him in the defensive. Moving and dodging away from red-laced chains the best he can it still managed to slice him on the arm.

Moving the chainsaw to the side, it ran into the corpse on the table behind him. Chunks of flesh and blood sprayed itself all over the room and splattered everything around it with gore. With a strong kick Grin gave him and the Chainsaw wielding maniac some room between them.

The happiness there was in Sawyer's eyes a few seconds ago was gone. In exchange, it transformed into one of malice and animosity. Amidst the deafening sound conveyed by the chainsaw, Grin could almost hear the growling hate coming from Sawyer. He could only wonder what made her go off like that.

The wound he received was severe but minor. A little torn skin and muddled muscle tissues. Nothing little stitches and iodine can't fix. Before he could think more on it, Sawyer revved up her chainsaw again and raised it for an attack.

With a flick of Grin's wrist, a Walther P22 popped from his sleeve. Never would he have expected to use his last resort weapon so early in a fight. With gun in hand, Grin fired at the chainsaw wielding girl without hesitation.

Sawyer countered the gunfire by raising the chainsaw's guide bar to act as a shield. The furious barrage of bullets did nothing to the thick metal shield but it was enough to push her back. Sawyer took her time in the defensive and waited until the gun clicked itself dry before charging again.

Grin quickly grabbed a nearby table and threw it at his assailant. Sawyer effortlessly tore it in two filling the air with bits of wood and sawdust. Grin took advantage of the cover and lunged at her with a cleaver but was blocked by the bulky saw.

Sparks emitted all over the room between the two weapons pinning each other down. Grin unbridled his Bowie from his holster and slashed at Sawyer. With unexpected grace, she hopped out of the way before hacking at him again like a mad dog.

A furious display of sparks discharged as the two battled each other. It was an equal match as both tried to overpower the other. Neither could be subdued due to the skills that both assailants used against each other. With Grin's speed and skill &amp; Sawyer's absurdly large weapon, there was no clear advantage for either of them.

In the midst of the fight, Sawyer managed to land a heavy blow down at Grin. His weapons flew out of his hands and he fell down to the ground. The young Gothic woman stood above and on him with a face full of rage and a raised chainsaw humming to the Reaper's impending doom.

"**Die" **Sawyer whispered before slashing down the chainsaw at Grin's head. To her disbelief, sparks was emitted instead of blood as it made contact.

_What the fuck? He a fucking robot? _Sawyer thought as she added more weight to the saw.

The saw started slowly rose towards Sawyer. Struggling to keep it down was all in vain. Despite her best efforts, her strength was not enough to resist. The saw continued to be pushed up and almost slashed at her face. Her opponent by then already rose from the ground and towered above her.

Amidst the raining sparks, Sawyer was amazed to see that the thing that stopped her chainsaw was the Reaper's very hand. The glove was shredded to bits and exposed his metallic prosthetic.

Sawyer struggled to keep her footing from her surreal adversary. The saw's loud humming started steadily slowing down to a halt. The Reaper's grip held tightly at the chains and jammed it down till it stopped moving completely.

Despite Sawyer's best efforts, she could not get out of the tight grip. She began to punch and kick the Reaper to loosen the man's grip but it was useless against him. It felt like she was hitting concrete and her knuckles and knees began to swell. Her rage however blinded her from seeing both.

Grin stood unwavering as the little Cleaner did her best in beating him to a pulp. He felt none of the pain and could have laughed it off if only it wasn't for the chainsaw he was holding distracting him. They both knew that they were in a stalemate.

Amidst the blows Sawyer gave, one managed to land one straight to Grin's face. The punch went past his head and tore off the mask from his face. Almost immediately, a foul smelling gas engulfed them both. It spread and filled the air and obscured most of Sawyer's vision.

In the confusion, the Reaper tore the chainsaw from Sawyers hands and punched her to the ground. As the smoke cleared, Sawyer looked to her opponent with the prospect of attacking but stopped herself in the last minute. Her rage was paralyzed by fear as Sawyer was engulfed with the horror of meeting her enemy's face.

"Must admit. Caught me off guard." Grin growled as he tossed the chainsaw to the side. His voice was made gruffer without the confines of the mask. "That'll be enough. For today."

Sawyer was still petrified to the sight to even notice the pain by her cheek. She had heard stories of Grin 'the Reaper' being disfigured but not to the extent of this revulsion.

Sawyer worked with corpses for a living in the better part of her young life. Her job exposed her to many gruesome and unbelievable endings from countless bodies. Never would she have dreamed that the sight of the Reaper's bare face would give her such dread.

He was the epitome of Death. His skin was white. Not pale white but chalk white skin that glowed in the shadows. An empty hole in the middle of his face made up his nose. His left cheek was engraved with a ghastly Chelsea Grin (or a Glasgow Smile). The Scar was long and deep. It etched out from his side and extends up to his ear.

As for his right, the cheek hardly had any flesh left at all. It opened itself wide with pieces of flesh stretched thin. Broken and jagged yellow teeth exposed itself into and a horrific parody of a grin. The rest of his face was etched with deep scars and stitches that held the rest together like a macabre piece of art.

"Not a pretty sight. Is it?" The dead man said. His voice made gruffer without the confines of the mask. "See the rest."

Grin held his goggles by a hand and took it off. His left eye was missing and left a near perfect hole in its stead with a large gash carved across it. The other revealed a single dark sunken eye. A red, soulless eye.

"**What are…you?" **Sawyer asked.

"Better question." Grin shrewdly said. "Is who?"

Sawyer raised an eyebrow, looking slightly confused by the words.

"May not look like it." Grin growled. "But we knew each other. You and I. Back then. In sunny old Texas."

Sawyer scowled at the sound of the name _Texas_. She never wanted to associate herself with that place again and she didn't want to be reminded of it by some stranger. Let alone by the Reaper. She had too many nightmares from that wretched place.

Sawyer looked at the man curiously. She was sure of herself that she never met the Reaper or anyone of the like before in her childhood in Texas. His face was hard to recognize due to the disfigurements but even without it, no one seemed to come to mind. The only people she KNEW in Texas were her family.

The Reaper's reputation and notoriety is familiar to her. She was sure enough that none of her family fits the bill. Unless…

There was another person that Sawyer came to know back in her old home. She recalled a boy whom she stumbled upon during her childhood. He was an odd boy whom she befriended in her family's ranch. But the possibility for that child to be standing in front of her right now was impossible as she saw him die in front of her very eyes.

Her gaze lingered at the Reaper. The man didn't look as frightening as before after some getting used to. In fact, she felt as though she slightly pitied the man because of his disfigurements. She imagined that he must live a sadder life than her.

Perhaps it WAS possible for this man to be that boy she knew.

"**Viktor?" **Sawyer said with uncertainty.

"In the flesh." Grin growled. He made an ugly smile that stretched out his scars. "Well. What's left of it."

Sawyer was thunderstruck. Her mouth fell open after hearing the absurdity that came from the Reaper's mouth. Is he meaning to tell her that her dead friend happened to be alive this entire time and stand before her as Grin the Reaper?

"**Prove it." **Sawyer asked.

"Nothing gets past you. Fred-Fred. Grin chuckled for a moment before turning serious again. "Very well."

"First time we met. You called me 'Chalkboy'. Cuz of my skin." Grin said. "Took me 2 weeks to teach you my name. You didn't visit much. Did most of the talking when you did however. Told you stories. Fairytales. You said we were Hansel and Gretel. The night we escaped. Ironic. More like Jack and Jill. Though. You didn't tumble after."

Sawyer remained silent the entire time. She was as still as a stone and her eyes glued on to Grin. Her reactions however were too vague to interpret.

"**Oh my God." **Sawyer whispered. **"It is you, Viktor." **

"Viktor…" Grin scoffed. His face then became mild and seemingly saddened.

The Reaper looked as though he was in a trance. Whether he was talking to Sawyer or not, she was unsure. "Haven't heard that name. In years. Viktor. Viktor Harrow. That was my name."

Is he meaning to tell her that her friend Viktor, who she saw die years ago, came back from the dead? What's more absurd was the likelihood that they were one and the same? It sounded crazier even when she was thinking about it.

"**No way." **Sawyer said astounded. There was only one person in the world who could have known that other than herself. "**You're…you're alive? After all this…time, Viktor?"**

Grin silently turned about and picked up his mask from the corner. The dust was cleaned off as he turned back to Sawyer.

"That man IS dead. This is all that's left of him." Grin said coldly as he wore the mask and took a deep breath. "Grin The Reaper. That's all there is."

Grin made his way to the fridge and took a few bottles of beer. Grin motioned Sawyer to a couch nearby and placed a drink for her on a nearby table before being seated himself.

Sawyer remained where she was. She was dubious of the hospitable action. Ever so wary since they just tried killing each other just a few minutes ago. Unsure of what was happening and contemplated on how to treat the situation.

After making her mind, Sawyer sheepishly walked to the side and picked up her chainsaw from the floor. She then seated herself by the couch in front of Grin.

The two of them said nothing as they looked across one another. Time was spent with the two staring at each other fixedly not knowing what to say.

There was complete silence between the two as they sat across each other. The stillness of the atmosphere gave them the time to be alone in their thoughts.

Innumerable thoughts swam in their heads. So much to say, so much to ask after a long time being apart but neither had the voice to speak.

_She hardly changed after all these years. _Grin thought. _She's still a little midget who pokes at road kill. She sure earned a bit of muscle though picking up dead weights for a living. She's a real Sawyer all right._

_He's alive. _Sawyer was in shock and kept her face blank. _He's alive after all this time. But I dunno whether I should be happy about it or not…_

"You've been busy." Grin started. He was very anxious to speak again to his friend. Or maybe he just got bored of the silence. "Knew you'd go places. Always. But never here."

"You've put that thing to good use." Grin motioned to her chainsaw. "Not far from the tree. You."

"**Girl's gotta eat." **Sawyer smirked. "**As much as I…left **_**that **_**all behind…it's hard to get…rid of what you're…born into. Turns out…I'm still a…Sawyer."**

Sawyer fiddled with her fingers and looked at her chainsaw. _The Saw is Family. _

The saw was the legacy of her 'clan', a deranged family of cutthroats, cannibals and murderers. The saw was their name and they revere it in a way that was as disgusting as a religion.

It helped feed them and protected them from potential do-gooders. It was a staple life but living with them was no fantasy. They were as brutal and abusive to their victims as they were to Sawyer. She would not have any part of it and so she left it all behind, but she didn't do it alone.

Her eyes gazed on her friend. The boy she once knew stood in front of her as a stranger. His once clear white skin was now botched and scarred and his once bright eyes fell down to one. A heavy eye, devoid of any life or feeling.

"**I…just never…expected to see you…like this…that's all." **Sawyer managed to say after a while in silence. "**I didn't know how…to react or…to handle it."**

"Yes." Grin motioned to his ruined laboratory. "Didn't expect it to escalate so. Quickly. Us meeting again."

"**What are…you doing here?" **Sawyer asked.

"Gave myself a hobby." Grin chuckled. He mused at how he remembered Sawyer diverting attention away from problems as children. "I get bored easily. Must admit. Putting bodies together. Fun as taking them apart."

"**That's nice and…all." **Sawyer shrugged.** "But what I…meant was, what are…you doing in Roana…pur?"**

"You saw _The Red Ship_? My finest work."

"…"

It was hard to forget that mess of a cleanup. A whole platoon of Cleaners was what it took to go through every nook and cranny of that wretched ship. Sawyer could still recall the trips and the mountain of bodies she had to dispose that day.

As exhausting as those two days were she could not help but admire the skill of the kills. It was almost like a masterpiece.

"No particular reason. Just passed by." Grin said. "Winds of opportunity. If you'd call it that. Searching for a fitting ending."

_Ending? _Sawyer thought. _What is he talking about?_

Sawyer's thoughts were distracted when she noticed that Grin was looking at her. It made her feel uncomfortable. No one had ever looked at her twice without running the other way. The fact that someone did it so intently made her hid a small blush.

"Did I do something?" Grin asked naively. "You hide yourself."

Grin was never the empathic type nor was he ever sensitive to what people say or think. So he never picked up on the signs. He just thought that something was amiss with his friend.

"**Nothing**" Sawyer quickly said. "**You just had…your gaze…on me. What's on…your mind?"**

"Oh that." Grin said passively. "Just recollecting. Old memories. Vague memories. You haven't changed. Not one bit. Except. For that scar. On your neck."

"**Yes." **Sawyer stroked the scar under her neck. Her eyes grew dark as she remembered the memory.

It was the most painful and traumatic experience of her life. She was just fresh into her mid teens when she was raped by gutter trash. Her throat was then slit and was left for dead in the street.

**"I…survived." **Sawyer said hesitantly. "**I escaped…with my life…but lost…my voice."**

"You get him?" Grin asked crossly. "The man who did this?"

"**Yes." **Sawyer answered in a very satisfied tone.Almost as if she savored the memory. **"Found him. Cut him up…to 7 pieces. One for each…stitch. From the legs…till the neck. Left him…alive through…the whole…thing so he…could share my pain. He was…my first."**

"Good." Grin responded with a raised bottle.

After drinking his fill, Grin saw Sawyer had her face glued down to the floor. Grin had just pulled a cord. Sawyer was very sensitive when it came with her scars. Even more so when it regards her past. It was the trauma and the shame of losing her voice that gets to her deep. It has left her broken.

Gesturing to Sawyer to look up, Grin took off his shirt and exposed the wounds and scars of past battles. He could see her eyes narrowing down as she looked on at him. Whether it was of disgust or intrigue, it could not be told. Grin paid none of it mind.

"This." Grin pointed to the long scar that etched down his chest. "Fire Axe. Caught it just in time Tore through my ribs. Broke two. Kept it hanging there till the job was done. Took it out later. With some help. Few hours later."

"This." Grin pointed to a series of welts at the corner of his side. "Grenade. Caught me off guard. Smart bastard. Used a man to block the blast. Wasn't fast enough though. Some shrapnel's still there. Needed a new kidney."

"And this." Grin took off his mask again. He pointed at the empty hole in his eye and the missing flesh of his right cheek. He said in a low voice. "Your uncle. Need I say more?"

Sawyer turned away. She didn't like being reminded of that night. In fact, she didn't want to be reminded of anything that was to do in that dreadful house. Especially that dreadful night.

"Don't be ashamed with the scars, Fred-Fred." Grin leaned forward and said with a sincere and gentle voice. "Embrace it. It is a part of us. It's who we are now. A broken barrier. A reminder of our struggles. How we overcame death. But of course. Not without losing a piece on the way."

"**So how…did you…survive?**" Sawyer asked.

"Doesn't matter." Grin replied. He opened another beer and drank a long draught before continuing. "I just did. Cheating death seems to be a pastime for me."

"**But you were…shot in the face. By a shotgun**."

"Yes." Grin winced at the memory. "Still got the shells too. Up here."

The sound of the gunshot still rang in his ears. The burning gunpowder and pellets felt hot on his skin. He remembered the smell of wet grass and liquor that pervaded the air. A splitting headache came soon after with the feeling of blood seeping out.

"But it didn't kill me. Amazing. Lost 1/5 of my brain. Yet I could move. Speak. Think. And feel." Grin said. Pointing to his monstrous face, he joked. "Not that far from your old man, huh? Hehe."

"**So what …happened then**?" Sawyer asked.

Grin leaned back at the chair and lit himself a cigarette.

"Not much of a story, Fred-Fred." Grin breathed out a stream of smoke before sitting up. "It was 13 years ago. Was it Fred-Fred?"

A cracking sound echoed at the room coming from Grin's knuckles. It was another memory that he didn't think off in a long while. It was a memory that he didn't want to remember.

"**Yes.**" Sawyer nodded. It made butterflies in her stomach. Remembering her family and Texas wasn't her usual cup of tea.

"I lived." Grin spat. He took another drag before continuing. "Woke up in a hospital. Thought it was all a dream. 'PParently not. Months in bed. Rehab. Went back to your place. Left. Been to many places. Stole. Killed. Got some souvenirs in the way. Nevada. Ireland. East Europe. Been everywhere. Technically. Als—"

"**You suck at…story telling." **Sawyer interjected with an annoyed tone. "**Get to…the point."**

"Oh, I'm sorry." Grin said coldly. "That my disabilities. Get in the way. Do I bore you? Having craters in my mouth. Doesn't make for good chats. Don't even get me started. With the drool. Bah!"

In his anger, Grin slammed into the table and sent its contents falling to the floor.

"Missing eye. Missing limb. Face blasted to kingdom come. Didn't like it. Not one bit. I was angry Fred-Fred. Depressed. Purposeless. Afraid. Of what I have become. I…I-"

Grin struggled to speak another word. The air around him started to smell strange and unfamiliar. He could feel the cigarette's burning ash on his fingertips and the wind press against his skin. His body started to feel as if it were on fire. His face felt constricting and every scar reminded him of their struggles.

Grin's frenzied actions alarmed Sawyer. She helplessly watched as the Reaper breathing and coughing heavily. His hands were shaking uncontrollably and struggled to move. She could see in his eye that he was in pain but could do nothing about it.

Sawyer watched her friend in horror. Quickly realizing that the mask must have something to do with his seizures, she reached it out to the Reaper. Grasping and holding onto the mask for dear life. Grin erratically took deep breaths and took a brief respite.

"Then there's…that." Grin panted, almost as if he ran a marathon. "Am nothing without this mask. My _face_. I am broken. But further than most. Forgive me. For being a dick."

"**Don't mention it."** Sawyer said. "**Sorry too. I was…Inconsiderate."**

"T'sall right." Grin growled. "The gas. Keeps me alive. But kills me inside. In the mind. Too addictive I am. With this shit."

"**I get that." **Sawyer said. "**I am also…broken. I get like…that too. I go stupid…without my **_**voice**_**. I get crazy…without it. My feelings are…in a mix. I feel…distant. Alone. Sometimes I just…want to feel something…at the very…least."**

"Yes. Feeling. Breathing. Everything. Problems add up as it piles on." Grin murmured. "Got a fucked up mind. Up there too I am broken. Gone through too much. Fred-Fred. No sympathy. No feelings. Empty."

"Despite all these. Pain. Penance. Nothing hurt me more. What hurt me most? Thought I lost a friend. In that hell. My only friend." Grin said solemnly. His eye met Sawyer's. "Thought you died. Despite all I did. It broke me."

"Tried to escape. Stabbed a man in the eye. With a syringe." Grin sniggered. ". Went to the ranch myself. Hoped to find you. Saw it burned down by the townsfolk. A lot of corpses there. Thought you were in it. Thought I failed. Wanted to die there too. As faith would have it. I didn't."

Sawyer was at a loss of words. She felt a twinge of shame as her eyes were glued to the floor. Tears trickled down her cheeks. Her crying made it difficult to understand what she was saying. Understanding the words was made harder with the Electrolarynx.

**"I'm…sorry." **Sawyer wept.** "For…everything. And after…all you…ve done…I abandoned…you."**

Grin stood and silently approached Sawyer. Blinded in tears, she didn't realize that Grin was kneeling in front of her. Though his hands were cold, he gently placed a finger under her chin and raised it up to meet him.

"You haven't changed a bit Fred-Fred. Still a fucking crybaby." Grin humored to ease up on the drama. Instead of making Sawyer smile however, it only pissed her off a bit. It did stop her from crying however.

"You don't need to apologize." Grin continued. "I did what I could and you did what you had to. I told you to run away didn't I?"

"**Yeah**." Sawyer said as she wiped off the tears. "**But you…still took the…fall." **

Her Uncle Nubbins wasn't a good marksman as his twin. He couldn't shoot an elephant a yard away. However, it wasn't rocket science to shoot one at point blank range.

Sawyer heard an unsettling laugh coming from the Reaper. It was different from his usual cackling chuckles. It was more like a barking sound from a hound.

"**What's so…funny?"**

"A twist of faith. That's all." Grin growled. "I hated your family. I wanted to personally hunt them down. Sadly for me, they all went to hiding or got killed ahead."

"**Your point is?" **Sawyer asked. She didn't get where that was going.

"I'm just saying that it is ironic." Grin replied. "Despite all that they…that you did to me, I'm slightly thankful for those horrors to happen to me."

"**Thank you?" **Sawyer asked confusedly. **"Why?"**

"For creating me." Grin stood and walked away. He came back carrying two large bottles of whiskey that he set onto the table.

"**What's this for?" **Sawyer asked.

"To celebrate." Grin replied. He poured some on a shot glass and offered it to Sawyer while he opened the other bottle just for himself. "Not always you get to drink with the dead. Especially dead friends. So let's start anew."

"**Cheers.**" Sawyer raised her glass with a smile.

**A/N: **Glad to finish this in a split. Gotta say, this has been a very difficult chapter to make. Simply put, I'm not the type who kinda deals with emotions so it's kinda hard to put any of it in writing. In any case, after long hours of stitching one that works, I am satisfied with this result.

Pardon me for the mistakes and nonsensical entries in this chapter. I had to go through a lot of works and pages that I forgot to fix this up completely. Simply put, I patched it up the best I could.


	11. An Eventful Evening

The apartment room shook as the door slammed open. Grin made his way in the premises groggily. His eyes heavy from exhaustion and blood trickled past his hand and to the floor as he reached for the TV remote.

"**In recent news, a series of bombs were set off in central Manchester causing widespread damage in the city,"** The TV buzzed to life. Static crawled its way down the screen disorienting the pictures shown in the screen. **"Police reports stated that…"**

Grin couldn't care less at what the TV droned on. The bustling static and disoriented sounds echoed throughout the room. Turning the volume up to its highest, Grin proceeded with his task at hand. That of which required no intrusions from potential eavesdroppers. Paranoid or not, one can never be too careful.

Struggling with each step and slackened effort, Grin began to strip and make his way to the bathroom. The floor was scattered with his belongings and stained the rugs with blood and dirt. The mask was the only thing he kept on in the end.

Digging through the cabinets, Grin took out his emergency First Aid kit. Bandages, syringes, medicine and tools littered the sink in preparation. With a clean wet rag he cleaned the fresh and dried blood as well as the dirt and other substances on his body.

As soon as he finished, Grin stood in front of the mirror and assessed his current status.

"… **There were no definite fatalities but casualties mounted to over 200 injuries amongst the populous. Witnesses had…"**

Grin winced as he looked at his scarred pale-white skin. His recent exploit left him battered and bruised with a set of new scars to add in to the rest along with a broken arm. They continued to bleed profusely and trickled down the floor despite the efforts of his makeshift bandages. After turning on the water for the bathtub, Grin made his way out of the bathroom in haste.

"…**Existential damage around the area cost the government millions and crippled the city's bustling economy for…"**

Taking the iron from the laundry room it was then heated up in an open fire of the stove. Placing himself in the bathtub half full of water, Grin began taking out the shrapnel and the bullets that riddled in his body. Old bandages were removed and thrown into the corner and the blood poured out and made the job a tad more difficult. All the while Grin did not wince nor dawdled throughout the bloody ordeal.

"…**suspects from the Right-wing paramilitary group The "**_**Alianza Bravo Pueblo**_**" were still in custody due to lack of any known evidence in the bombing in Venezuela… "**

_If I were to die, I wouldn't want it to be from blood loss. _Grin thought. _Especially not in this piece of shit apartment in a dirty bathroom._

His hands started to lose its grip. His head was beginning to feel light. Too much blood was seeping down the drain already.

_Let's get this over with. _Grin hardly felt pain from the tools and the medication he injected onto himself.

The bullets dug in deep in him. It took more effort than usual in disgorging due to the added mess. He counted 5 bullets before proceeding with the stiches. 7 more rounds and this job would have beaten his record in Berlin when he hopped over the Wall the other way.

The job was botched from the very start. Grin was sent to eliminate some gangster heads that were meeting up in a construction site. He was going to shoot one guy in the group and start a gunfight amongst them and pick off the stragglers. There would have been no surviving witnesses after the smoke cleared and Grin could have left the vicinity Scott free.

One of the bosses thought the same however and set up their own merry band of gunmen hiding nearby. Some were unfortunate enough to be at the same building as he was. Grin was pulled into a shootout after being discovered and then all hell broke loose. Everyone started shooting each other and blowing each other up in smithereens after a brief car chase.

Either way, the job was done, everyone was dead and he'll get paid by the end of the day. That was all it was to him. But that didn't stop the injuries that it brought with it.

After Grin finished stitching and cleaning the wounds he made his way to the room outside and took the iron from the stove. The iron glowed with a hellish red hue and stabbed like a devil as it burned all the injuries clean and to a further close.

**"**…**the notable casualties in general from the explosion were none other than the noble family Patriarch of the Lovelace family, Diego Lovelace…"**

_Thank God for antiseptics and fucked up nerve endings. _Grin slowly made his way to the bed and leaned back for a brief respite. He took off his mask and inhaled in the cool fresh air with his own breath.

The pain soon inevitably crawled back in his system and was faced without any resistance. He wanted to feel SOMETHING out of this. A burning sensation erupted from his recent patchwork. Old wounds bit hard under his skin. His limbs were going crazy and thrashed about the bed.

"…**In other news, Jose Lucientes was found dead in the outskirts of Calabozo in the nearby river…"**

Grin took in the seizures and the pain as long as he could before frantically reached out for his mask. It was a welcome sight as he breathed into its noxious fumes. The pain subsided thereafter and left him lying on his bed exhausted.

Left alone in his thoughts, he reflected. In truth, he hated his life. He hated what he had to become and was nothing more than a murderer. A freak. He hated his state of purgatory and wished, no, wanted to end it all.

"…**Police and paramedics rush to the scene and moved the body from onlookers due to the brutality of the scene…"**

_That ain't the only brutality happening today. _Grin thought as he grabbed his revolver from the corner table. He played his daily game of roulette hoping that he'd get a bite.

"Let the games begin," The revolver was loaded with 5 bullets this time. Grin spun it fast and pointed it to his face. The hammer was primed and he stared indifferently to its barrel. "Hope I win this time." His finger lingered to the trigger.

Grin's cellphone rang without warning and surprised him. His finger pulled the trigger but instead of it shooting him in the face, the bullet grazed past his brow and imbedded itself to the wall behind him.

"FUCK! That hurts!" Grin's ears were ringing by the blast. Blood trickled by the side of his head and partially covered his eye. He wiped it off with his hand and surveyed the damage. The wound might require some stiches. "Damn. Got so close."

"What?!" Grin begrudgingly answered his anonymous caller.

**"Hello again fellow compatriot."** An ominous character spoke through the phone in a low tone. **"Would you care to come out to a night as young as this? Care to spare-"**

"The fuck you want Lotton?" Grin interrupted. He could not deal with a monologue with a bad mood.

**"….."**

Grin suspects that he caught the man off guard. As much as he annoys Grin, he finds some humor breaking the man's persona as an action star.

**"We, the Trio, wish to invite you to a night out. For dinner, if you will at the **_**Gold Dragon **_**at the Triad's District. " **Lotton continued in his usual theatrical manner. **"Just for kicks. That is all."**

"Hmmm. Why not?" Grin thought that some fresh air would do him good. Dinner with some 'friends' also wouldn't hurt.

Getting to his feet, Grin got himself stitched up; casted his arm and then prepared for the big night.

It didn't take long for Grin to find the venue. The building wasn't that hard to find either once you were in that part of town. People would consider it as the Main Establishment of the area due to its well-deserved grandeur. Grin's only regret was not wearing a more suitable attire for the occasion.

The aptly named _Gold Dragon_ was an impressive building. The structure even seemed to glow in opulence. It wasn't simple or grand, but it was quite fancy. Stone dragons covered the archways and crimson walls with ornate figures added to the heavy Easters Chinese theme. Grin wondered if there were more places like this in the city.

When he was allowed in he was welcomed warmly by a woman and was led past the halls and into the restaurant section. Grin wished he had dressed better-to-better fit in the scene's high standards. There were gambling dens with men in lavish suits and women in skimpy outfits. Grin guessed that the establishment included a brothel on the upper floors.

The woman showed him through a large doorway and once opened, he was introduced to a grand dining hall. Sweetness and flavor filled the air as mouthwatering dishes surrounded him. Grin took his time observing the rest with slight awe before a he was called by a loud Asian voice from a few tables away.

"Oy! We over here!" Shenhua waved ecstatically

**"Must you…make such a…scene?"** Sawyer nudged at her overbearing compatriot. Shenhua in the other hand wasn't seem to be paying attention.

"I believe that's the painkillers work." Lotton pointed out. "She took in a lot before we left. This whole place could be burning and she STILL wouldn't notice."

"Oh, silly me. I just get exited we get to meet your new boyfriend that's all." Shenhua giggled. "One you haven't chopped up yet of course."

**"He's not my…boyfriend."** Sawyer snapped. "**He's just a…an old…friend. And you **

**two…have met…him before. Remember?"**

The trio shivered at the painful memory. Lotton and Shenhua's disastrous first encounter with the Reaper occurred a few days ago and was still fresh in their minds.

They all recalled its very eventful and violent conclusion. Shenhua ended up spraining her leg and reopening some wounds, Lotton got a few broken teeth and a black eye, Grin received several bruises and Sawyer got a terrible hangover the next day.

Sawyer suggested reintroducing the 3 to each other ever since that night as to get along. Starting again from scratch as she puts it. In the end it became a last minute gig that had her drag the two to reconsider.

"Yeah. Sure. Whatever you say, Wednesday Addams." Shenhua teased. "But I know a blush when I see one."

Sawyer immediately turned away from the teasing woman and fumed behind the menu as Grin approached. Lotton stood from his seat and offered one to Grin who accepted it with a nod.

"Nice place." Grin said.

"I know right?" Shenhua said with a proud smile. "Mr. Chang love to show everyone how powerful Triads is. They also serve the best duck and trout in whole city. We go here many times cause it so nice."

_The place looks more like a Chow Yun Fat action movie. _Grin chuckled at the absurdity. He did find some similarities with Mr. Chang.

"Looks expensive. What's your angle?" Grin asked amusingly. "Eat and run?""

"**Triad members…get discount." **Sawyer answered with a smirk. Her eyes motioned to Shenhua. "**What happened…to you?"**

"This?" Grin motioned to his bandaged arm and to his banged up appearance. "Another day in the office."

"Must been tough job." Shenghua said. She pointed a chopstick to Grin. "Would have nothing to do with big fire downtown, no? Heard that there was big fight and booms there few hours' back. Looked like Saigon at Tet."

"If I say yes. Would you get that," Grin pointed at the chopsticks. "Out of my face. Might poke my eye out."

"Oooooh! Interesting." Shenhua gave a seductive smile. "I like this one, Sawyer. He got right attitude."

"**You have a different mask…Grin." **Sawyer quickly changed the subject. **"Looks new. Something happened…to the old one?"**

"This?" Grin pointed to his mask. It had the similar intricate design of a skull but looked newer and without signs of any wear and tear. Its gas tank was not in the mask like the previous one. Instead, it had a tube that made its way to Grin's front pocket.

"Made it so I can. Eat in public. Without removing it." Grin pulled down the Jaw area of the mask and exposed the front part of his mouth. "Won't scare people. Much. Won't lose anyone's appetites. Or yours."

"Kind of want to know what you look like behind mask." Shenhua said in a ditsy manner. "Can't be that ugly no? Maybe you be like prince charming in suit of shining armor."

"**N**o." Sawyer and Grin said at the same time.

"Well then my fellow compatriot. I do believe that you can finally use that for good use." Lotton announced as their orders were being served. "Bon Appetite."

The food was excellent with a ton of mouthwatering meals to choose from. They ate well and the air of the place did its job well for keeping its denizens interested.

"I heard that you got into fight with Mr. Chang." Shenhua said in midst of the meal. "Not that many has balls to do that you know."

"There was no fight." Grin coolly corrected. "Just a standoff. A disagreement. It ended well"

"**You should still…watch your…back." **Sawyer warned. **"Chang isn't someone…to fuck with."**

**"**I wouldn't worry much about that. I've dealt with men like-" Grin was cut off when a man rudely bumped into his chair. American by the looks of it.

"Oh. Sorry about that." The man said with a Southern drawl as he wobbled past the tables. Grin looked at the drunk with annoyance. He watched the man bumped at a few waiters before made his way to the nearby bar where two other men were seated.

Grin grimaced at the sight of the men's Hawaiian flower shirts. He never liked nor understood why people still wear those gay outfits, especially by those brawny men the drunken man was with. It was like dogs wearing getups. Grin was starting to lose interest but a glimpse of something caught his attention. One of the men had a particular tattoo on his arm. A tattoo of a Grey Fox.

_What the fuck are they doing in Roanapur? _Grin thought calmly but with alarm.

His eye kept his eye on them keenly as he watched the men from afar. Curiously, he wondered if they were in the area in official business. If so, then Grin expected that something big was about to happen in the restaurant soon.

Grin read their lips as they talked while feigning interest with his own companions. A few minutes had passed and he deciphered no hint of any professional motive. Grin confirmed that the men were only out to enjoy themselves in the town.

Grin gave himself a sigh in relief. Despite the assurance that neither he nor anyone in his group were in any danger, he can't seem to shape the feeling that something big will. He is familiar with Grey Fox and their exploits. He knows that they wouldn't just stick by and relax in the background without some ulterior motive.

Grin recalled his previous clashes with Grey Fox in East Europe. Each engagement proved to be near lethal that pure luck simply spared him. They make the _BlackWatch_ look like boy scouts based on how they commit to their operations.

Specializing from Counter insurgency, Recon, Assassination to terrorism tactics, Grey Fox accomplishes various missions with renowned success. Operating in the shadows while causing Havoc and Mayhem in their wake, they would only then disappear in the shadows once the smoke clears.

And now they were in Roanapur.

Grin weighed in his options of how to react. He could just let them be but their presence in the city is still dangerous. Bad for business if it decides to escalate. What's more, Grin is also a wanted man in the States. If they were there for him, it would be problematic.

Whether or not they are in the city for him, Grin still has to make sure. He needed to get answers from them but not in the way that he'd be discovered and wont result with him killing him. Never was Grin faced with a dilemma that cannot be simply solved with killing.

Grin had his own limits and one of them was fucking with a US contracted group that Grey Fox signed up for. It was that ticket that made them neigh invincible. He had to approach the situation with caution and figure out how to get information without getting caught.

If the latter were to happen however, Grin had the means and the funds to get out of the country fast.

"**You alright?" **Sawyer asked Grin. **"You were…kind of a…blank."**

"Never better." Grin lied before opening a conversation regarding his first meeting with the Lagoon company.

The other two thought were immediately interested and listened with intent as Grin told them of their adventure on a cruise ship.

Sawyer, however, kept her gaze at him. She noticed that something was amiss with Grin. She saw in him a small glimpse of fear but nonetheless kept that to herself.

"Hate to cut this story short." Grin abruptly stood. He saw that the men from the Grey Fox unit paid the bill and were leaving. "But I need the Bathroom. Where?"

"On the left, next to the aquariums. But wait. You haven't said who won between you and that Lagoon Slut." Shenhua pleaded to deaf ears.

"Well Shenhua. When you have to go, you have to go." Lotton said.

"Meh. It not every day I hear of story of Two-hands getting butt whooped." Shenhua pouted.

"I must admit that it was quite the story. Wouldn't you say so too Sawyer?" Lotton asked.

Sawyer said nothing and remained silent over something. Lotton knew better than to intrude her when she's brooding.

**"**Well, that was a fine run wouldn't you say boys?" Forbes asked his companions as the 3 of them walked the desolate streets.

"What's the name of this here city again Cap?" Jacobs asked as he hung like a wet blanket on Brown. The young drunk was headstrong, risky and has a weakness for the strong shots. Brown on the other hand was more by the book and professional. Forbes sees a little bit of himself on both of them.

"Roanapur or as I would like to call it, the world's shithole." Brown replied. "And don't call me by my rank out here. Don't forget, we're just typical tourists enjoying the sights."

"Yeah. Yup. Roger Wilco." Jacobs nonchalantly pushed himself off of Brown and patted himself off some dust. He then abruptly pukes at a nearby garbage bin.

"You done?" Forbes asked as he lit himself a smoke.

"Yeah." Jacobs spat before walking on. "What I don't get is why the top heads can't bring us over to some scenic nowhere that smells like piss?"

"That's just you numb nuts." Forbes joked. "The place ain't pretty but it's good enough before we get shipped off to another mission. How bout we enjoy more of the city's delights?"

"Never thought you'd be into poontang sir?" Brown asked skeptically.

"Nah. I might not be tight around the waste but I sure ain't gonna catch anything here. Not in my day and age."

"A girl does sound like a good idea right about now." Jacob said with his head above the clouds. "Didn't get a chance of meeting anyone back in Venezuela. We DID cause quite a ruckus back there."

Jacobs unexpectedly felt a choking pain coming from his neck and was jammed to an alley wall. It was only then did he realize that Forbes was the one pinning him tight.

"Bran, I thought I told you that we shouldn't be talking like that out here." Forbes calmly spoke in a near hushed tone. "I thought that you had enough brains left to remember that."

"C'mon now sir." Jacobs brushed off the grip and was free. "Who'd be listening to us out here?"

"How bout that guy behind us?" Brown casually answered. "I've been eying him since we went around the last block."

"Act normally. No sudden moves" Forbes asked without looking back from Jacobs.

"Brown, status."

"Medium build with a heavy coat, slight on his step, face is obscure. It's hard to tell what he is."

Forbes deduced the 3 of them had the advantage of numbers and surprise if they played their cards right against this stranger. Brown thought the same and slowly reached for his gun. Jacobs moved closer and took a peak at the looming figure.

The figure was walking closer to their hiding place in the alley and everyone was tense in the upcoming fight. They were shocked to see the figure suddenly slump over and fell to the floor of the street just a foot away from them.

"That was anticlimactic. It's just a fucking drunk hobo." Jacobs investigated the unconscious stranger. "You guys should relax more. You're too fucking paranoid."

"Hmmmm." Forbes grumbled as he hid his gun in his jacket and lit himself a new cigarette. "I'm getting too old for this shit. Let's head on back home."

Brown stayed and looked at the sleeping vagrant while the other two made their way back. He thought as he turned about and followed the others that maybe the Captain was right. Maybe he was starting to get too old and too paranoid for his age.

However, he couldn't shake the feeling of danger coming from the man snoring on the street behind him. Brown's instincts proved true when he felt a shock of pain behind his head and fell unconscious to the ground.

Forbes heard the commotion behind him. He turned to see Brown lying lifeless on the ground and the supposed drunk vagrant was charging towards them. Before Forbes could raise his weapon, the stranger grabbed him by the neck and slammed him to the wall.

Jacobs tried to pull the man off of Forbes but was hit with the backhand and fell on his knees to the floor. Before he could pull himself together and get into the fight, he heard a hammer of a gun clicking behind his head.

Shuddering in terror Jacobs came close to peeing his pants. Dying wasn't an option for him. Not just yet. He would gladly die for his country like a patriot but not in the prospect of dying in the alleys like a stray dog.

"Stay calm." The man behind him growled. "Won't be killing you. Yet. Got some questions. Nod if you understand. Lie. Then you're dead. Along with your friends."

Jacobs nodded. He had no other choice than to cooperate.

"Name and rank."

"B-Brandon Jacobs." Jacobs stuttered. "Sergeant Major Jacobs of the Grey Fox unit."

"Purpose?"

"I-I'm sorry man, that stuff's classified." Jacobs hesitated. He knew that he'd get the boot in the unit if he disclosed that information. Getting shot was also how they deal with disclosing information.

A shot rang out that caused him to dunk his head to the ground. He thought for the moment that the stranger had done the job but he didn't. He turned and saw that the stranger was wearing a gasmask and the gun was shot to the air.

Jacobs laughed at the fact that he was still alive but the man thought different and closed Jacob's mouth and plunged the gun to his eye. The hot metal from the gun burned into his skin and screamed in pain. There was nothing in Grin's plan saying that he can't rough the men up a bit.

"Not for me. I won't ask again. Be a smart ass. I'll burn your other eye. Good luck shooting with those. Cowboy."

"Okay, just s-stop with the burning." Jacobs cried. "We were here incognito after a job in Venezuela. We were here for a few weeks and won't do anything else except if we need to get out quick. That's all I know so please let me go!"

"That it?" Grin felt much more relieved at the information. He went and took a cigarette from the man's front pocked and lit himself up one. "Here's the deal. Jacobs. You got mugged tonight. That's all what happened. Tell your superiors this or not. Couldn't care less. It's your ass they'll burn either way. If you tell. They still burn you. And they die."

Jacobs struggled to see what was going on and caressed his burning eye. What little he did see was the stranger walking away from the scene. His first intention was to shoot the bastard but was unable to do so. He was mentally incapacitated by the ordeal.

The man played his cards well and Jacobs can't do anything about it. An added insult to injury was that the same guy stole all their winnings. All he could do now was to drag his colleagues back to the house and not say a word about the night.

Dinner lasted for another hour and was followed by fine drinks and a trip to the gambling dens. The four merry killers were satisfied of the evening and made their way out of the restaurant as the dusk began to rise.

"Thanks for buying, Grin." Shenhua said . "You didn't have to though, but thanks anyway."

"Don't worry about it. Came across a great deal recently." Grin smirked in his mask.

"So, off to home then my ladies?" Lotton asked as he opened the door of his car in his usual theatrical manner. Shenhua accepted it in kind and made her way in.

"**Can't. Got to go…to work. Lots…to pick up." **Sawyer replied.

"I'll take you." Grin proposed. "We'll take my bike."

Sawyer nodded and parted ways from the other two. Grin tossed to her his helmet. The vehicle impressed her when Grin showed it. It was a dark grey Kawasaki motorcycle that looked quite brand new.

Sawyer held on tight behind Grin as they rode past the city. She took the helmet's visor off and felt the wind fly past her. Never would she have guessed that a simple ride through the sky lighted streets would be so enjoyable. Her fun took an abrupt end when they stopped next to sullen building that was her abattoir.

"**Thanks."** Sawyer said as she disembarked and returned the helmet.

"Don't mention it." Grin shrugged. "The least I could do."

"**Yeah. Before…you leave though. What…happened earlier?"**

"Where?"

"**Back during…dinner. You didn't go…to where you said…you will go." **Sawyer looked at him with piercing eyes. "**Something…happened while you…were gone. You came back…smelling like…gunpowder. What did…you do…Victor? Don't…lie."**

"You can always tell. When something's amiss. Fred-Fred." Grin turned off the engine. From a cheerful mood, his eye swiftly turned serious. "Met some…familiar faces. Back in the restaurant. Dangerous folk. From dangerous factions. They left. I followed. I settled it. There and then. They wont trouble me. Anymore."

Grin felt as though he didn't need to tell Sawyer about Grey Fox. He didn't see the importance of it on her.

"**You shouldn't…take these things…so lightly." **Sawyer said. **"Especially the one…about Chang. You're making…too many… enemies here. It's gonna…get you killed."**

"I've dealt with this before." Grin said. "I can handle these things. Myself. I had before. I ain't afraid of dying"

"**Me too. But that's…not what I…meant." **Sawyer said.** "You are too…desperate TO get…killed. I bet you…tried killing yourself...countless of times on the…side when nothing's…happening. Out of spite."**

"Where d'you get. That idea?" Grin asked.

"**I've been through…that" **Sawyer showed the gashes under her wrists. "**I know a…thing or two about…scars myself. You use a gun…with yours."**

"Impressive." Grin said blankly. "This the part. Where you convince me to do. Otherwise? What made YOU stop. Meeting death?"

"**I found people...who helped me." **Sawyer said as she approached Grin. "**People who…cared for me. Made me…feel complete. Saved me…from myself. Helped me realize…that the world isn't as…dark as it is."**

**"You gave me…a new life…Victor." **Sawyer said. Their faces were only inches apart. "**Let me have…this chance to…save you this…time. You don't…have to face all these…on your own." **

Sawyer lightly kissed Grin on his mask. Exactly where his lips would be. Grin was taken aback and was surprised. A part of him was surprised, confounded and confused by the wisdom of the words. A part of him wondered what or why she did that. A part of him wished that he could have felt that kiss himself.

"**You are not alone." **Sawyer said. **"You don't need to be…afraid anymore."**

Grin's gaze was set on the tiny ghost girl who walked away into her dark abode. Disappearing behind the heavy bolt doors of the abattoir, it closed shut. Once again Grin stood alone beneath the dark shadows of the city with a lot in his mind.


	12. A Day Full of Luck

The phone rang unceremoniously loud. Ringing its irritating tune, it vibrated on the bedside table and sent a glass shattering on the floor.

With a groan, Grin woke up and groggily sat on his bed. After Stretching himself and yawned as the phone continued ringing, he looked at the lack of light that protruded from the window. By the looks of it, it was still morning. Hardly. The clock in the corner stated that it was 6 in the morning.

Grabbing the cellphone from the bedside table, Grin flicked it open and answered the call.

"Yes?" Grin growled.

"Nice to see that you are already awake Reaper." A familiar woman's voice spoke from the other end of the phone. "Hope that you aren't too unsteady for an assignment this early in the morning?"

"What will it be?" Grin coughed. "Balalaika?"

"I knew that you'd be up for it." Balalaika said. "This is an urgent matter and there is little time to waste as it is."

"Understood."

"I'll make this as brief as possible." Balalaika said coldly. "There's a man in the name of Gregory Mablilong under witness protection and will be testifying in court at 11:15am today. I want you to shut him up before he comes through. **Alive**. No questions asked. Does this approve to your _requirements?_"

"Matter a fact. Yes." Grin replied coolly.

"Good," Balalaika sounded relieved. "I'll assure you that you will be handsomely rewarded. But only if you succeed. You only have one shot at this. Mr. Mablilong is in the Mankanto Palace Hotel in Mankanto Street on the 5th floor. He has 3 bodyguards posted with him so keep an eye out. He's also easy to recognize. He has a visible burn scar on the right side of his head. Good luck."

Balalaika hung up and ended the conversation. Grin was left sitting in the room with an empty buzzing phone and thought about the situation. He noticed a pang of fear in Balalaika's voice and to ask him for help at this hour only garnered his curiosity even more.

A groan and shuffled movements came from under the covers on the opposite side of the bed. Grin's train of thought disappeared as he attended to it.

"Just a job." Grin said. "Nothing to fret. Fred-Fred."

Sawyer replied with a mute yawn and propped herself up at the head of the bed. She looked even more like a ghost without her usual dark make up. Her pale skin that glowed in the dawning light conflicted by her hair's case of a messy bedhead.

Grin stood from the bed and reached for his clothes on the ground. As he stood, he felt Sawyer's finger etching out letters on his back.

_You going out?_

"Yes." Grin said as he turned to face her. "Go back to sleep."

_Nah. _Sawyer gave a smirk._ Might as well get up too. Got a lot to carve in the shop._

She got out from the bed and made her way to the shower with a towel at hand. Grin would have wanted to join her but time would not permit it. Time was vital and he still needed to attach his arm (which took an effort), organize his tools and plan for the assignment.

Things were going good for him these past few weeks. The most surprising one was the one with Sawyer. Whether they were a couple, lovers or fuck-friends they didn't – or couldn't – care less. They were simply in a relationship now.

Neither of them would have expected that they'd be in a relationship. It happened quickly and unexpectedly for them. One minute they were talking with a few drinks, next thing they know they were kissing and fondling till they reached the nearest bed.

"**Same time…tomorrow?" **Sawyer asked with a small smile as they made for the door.

"We'll see." Grin replied as he slipped off his mask on the side and gave her a long kiss.

It was close to noon when Grin saw Rock from Lagoon Company just a few feet away from him in the busy streets. Rock was talking with a hippy-looking manager of the den. The discussion between the two was impossible to overhear due to the noise. It posed no setback for Grin however. He could easily read their lips instead with ease. He prided himself with the ability as it made his jobs easier.

As best as Grin could decipher, Rock's business was about the delayed payment the den owner owed the Cartel. The owner wanted to reschedule the payment till the next day. He asked if Rock would like to discuss it with him in the shop but was declined. The Jap mentioned something about a sniper nearby or something.

A _Wise choice, Mr. Rock._Grin knew that the den owner was a slick bastard. He would always weasel his way out of every agreement when it came to the day of pay. The man would have dumped the lanky Jap in an alley the moment he steps foot inside.

"Hello." Grin said as Rock approached. "Been a while."

"Hey there, Grin." Rock said in surprise. "It sure has. You look well. What's in the bag"

"Finished a Job. For Hotel Moscow." Grin motioned to the large bag he was carrying on his shoulder. "You've been scarce. Been anywhere?"

"Yeah." Rock gave a nervous smile. "I was actually with Hotel Moscow with Revy in Japan these past few weeks. Balalaika had me as her interpreter. We did some business deals, saw some sights and met…some people."

"Why come back?" Grin asked. He noticed when Rock turned away for a split second and looked a tad lethargic when he mentioned _some people. _He did not mention it since Grin thought that the former was a more reasonable question.

"It just didn't…feel like home anymore." Rock answered anxiously "That's all."

"Is that right?" Grin noticed something different about Rock. He looked a little down for some reason. Something important must have happened in Japan. "Anything interesting?"

"Well-"

Rock's trail of thought was cut short when Revy came walking into view. She carried with her his wallet and waved it about. Some pickpocket must have nicked it from him when he wasn't looking.

"I wouldn't have minded giving that much for the children on the streets." Rock said impassively to Revy. "There's not much in that old thing anyway."

"And by then, the kid would have found a bigger purse and your compassion will end up in a ditch somewhere." Revy replied sarcastically. "Seriously, you never think of the consequences of what you do."

"Forgot how you're. Inseparable" Grin interrupted. "Clingy now. Aren't you, Revy?"

"Heh. Didn't see you there, Vader. How's it going?" Revy said with a mock salute.

"Usual shit."

"Wanna join us for lunch? Cuz I know I can't handle this moody guy on my own." Revy suggested.

"Sure."

The 3 made their way to a nearby plaza a few blocks away. Colorful gazebos litter the court, street vendors and small shops line up on the side. The smell of grease, steam and fried food filled the air as the tropical sun beating down added to the heat.

Helping himself with just a drink, Grin kept to himself while Revy and Rock ate and talked about their own businesses. Revy returned Rock's wallet where he kept a certain picture of importance to Rock.

Revy always had a tendency to insult anyone she would come across to. Grin would have motioned to have her tune down her attitude with Rock since he already looked lower than usual. He stopped halfway when he realized that there was a hint of sympathy with the words Revy said to Rock. It almost sounded like she was concerned.

Revy chastised Rock for all his efforts of making good out of a bad situation and how all of those inevitably failed. She made hints of their past adventures together and how Rock tried making good out of those bad situations and ended up hurting himself more in the end.

Grin listened in astonishment at all the obstacles the lowly salary man had gone through. He sympathized with Rock but he also agreed with what Revy had to say about the town. It was anarchy incarnate that starts with nothing and ends in nothing.

"What do you say about all this, Grin?" Revy asked.

"The same." Grin replied. He paused for a second as he lit himself a smoke. "This city has nothing to do with it. It's nature. And it will remain like that. The same can be said for its people. Born in the slums. Eating off shit. Fighting for life. Molded by that society. Its who we are. And what we became to be."

"The problem. Is you, Rock. From another world. You. A better world. Liked that you share that illusion. Am flattered. But you force it on us. Too hard in fact. Without realizing the facts. It's a pipe dream. All of it. I admire you. Rock. For what you've done for them. I really do. But you can't change nature. The natural order. This is what _we _are."

"Right." Rock replied with uncertainty and emotion. It was like swallowing a bitter pill.

"You're a cold bastard to the core, Reaper." Revy sardonically said.

"Do me a favor Rock." Grin ignored Revy's comment.

"Yea? What is it?" Rock asked, hesitantly.

"Don't give up." Grin said.

"What?" Rock looked at the Reaper skeptically. "What do you mean by that? What about all you said?"

"I'm with him on this one." Revy added looking like something between incredulous and confused. "You bi-polar or something?"

"No." Grin replied. "Meant every word. But it doesn't mean. There's no hope. In what you do. Just be careful. Careful you wont get. Corrupted yourself."

A muffling sound broke the silence between the three from under the table.

"Uhhh. Grin, your bag is moving." Revy pointed out. "Something in it?"

"This?." Grin nonchalantly replied. He kicked it hard before turning his attention to the two. "A nobody. Forgot that I had him. Got to go. See you guys later."

"Sure thing." Revy motioned to Grin as he walked away. "We'll be in the Flag later if you want to tag along."

"I'll see." Grin waved without looking back.

Retracing his steps, Grin found where he left his motorcycle. He injected his prisoner with a sedative before leaving as to avoid any roughhousing while driving off. Upon arriving in the _Bougainvillea_ _Trading Company, h_e was sent to the back area to the garage where he was met with usual coldness from members of the mafia.

"Here's the guy. Still alive. Won't wake up for an hour or so." Grin said to the mobsters.

"You did well. We'll make sure he wakes up nice and comfortable for the Kapitan." The enforcer named Konig said. "How did you find him so fast?"

Just like Konig, one would immediately think of some horrific and bloody scenario. With a reputation like the Reaper's one would expect him to go on a warpath and accomplish the mission through wanton destruction on its wake.

Instead, Konig saw not a scratch nor blood on the man and on Grin. Konig wondered what trick the Reaper was playing. He wondered as how the Reaper managed to capture a man they tried to vainly capture for months in less than a day.

Grin chuckled under the confines of his mask. It didn't take much skill or effort in Grin's part to capture the elusive fugitive. Luck was simply on his side.

The entire morning was spent waiting for the man from across the street with a rifle in tow. Grin waited for the exact moment when the target would be out in the open before he would make his move to the waiting vehicle.

The bodyguards were easily cut down but by Mablilong was a slippery bastard. True to his name, the Rat was quick on his feet and was a step ahead of the rifle. Grin almost lost him in the crowd before the Rat stupidly stepped in front of a moving vehicle and was sent rolling in the pavement a few feet away.

Grin was as dumbfounded as the rest of the crowds and took him a while to realize that all that DID happen. Shrugging it off like a daydream, Grin calmly went downstairs and picked up the unconscious road kill of the street. A simple look into the crowd sent them scurrying back to their own businesses.

"Trade secret." Grin answered with a blink.

"So be it." Konig shrugged. He took out his phone and dialed. "I'll let her know that you are here for your payment. Make your way up the usual course."

Grin gave the ex-soldier a nod and was responded with a salute before being allowed back to the building. He always considered Konig as the most approachable man in Hotel Moscow and made rapport after being a usual client for the Mafia. He just needs to hold back on the Vodka but apart from that, he is a swell guy.

Being in good relations with various mobs gave Grin some bonuses that were appreciated. One of it was having the right to keep his arms – metaphorically and literally – in the premises of Hotel Moscow's building.

The right hand man, Boris opened the door for Grin when he arrived. He motioned for silence as Balalaika was in the phone in the other room and asked to be seated. Boris returned to his post, on the corner outside Balalaika's spare room.

There had always been heavy tension emitting between the two men whenever they meet and left alone together. The blank stares released a slight strain on both men akin to a Mexican standoff. Their eyes never paused to blink and their hands ever so clenching. Within their mind they saw each other as enemies in the middle of the ring. Ever so creative were the thoughts and the ways to battle each other with no unclear winner.

It was a game for the two men and hoped that it would come soon. It was soon cut short when Balalaika entered the premises. Grin and Boris gave each other a curt nod as though they could read each other's minds. Balalaika also seemed to have noticed the rivalry.

"I would like to thank you for your services Reaper. That is the first good news I've had since arriving." Balalaika said without looking at Grin. She was shuffling through various documents that were in Russian, much to Grin's chagrin. "You have saved us a lot of trouble with that man. You're reward and more will be transferred to your account as usual. You have us in your debt."

"By all means. I aim to serve." Grin replied. "Who is he? The man you were so. Anxious to have me seize?"

"You seemed to have been busy lately." Balalaika ignored the question with her usual serious tone. "I've heard that you had a part in the recent rise of some upstart gangs that had been taking territory. Mine included."

"They were good challenges." Grin growled. "I liked a little fun. If you'd like. I could make them disappear again."

"There will be no need for that." Balalaika responded. Her eyes still glued to the documents in her hand. "Some could actually be of use for us. So it wouldn't concern you."

"Anything Else?" Grin asked with an annoyed tone. She gave up nothing based on what she said. Bluffing or not, Grin wouldn't challenge this woman to a poker game.

"Yes." Balalaika raised her head. For the first time in their meeting, she looked at Grin eye to eye. "It has come to my attention that you were with the Lagoon Company this afternoon. Is that correct?"

"Yes." Wonder where is this going?

"Did they mention anything about clients they might be harboring?"

"Clients?" Grin said with a hint of curiosity. "No. Why?"

"My contacts say that there is a certain character that just recently arrived in this town that might cause some trouble for our organization. The one they call the Maid."

"This person. Affiliated with the Lagoon?"

"No. Believe me, they are anything but affiliated." Balalaika said with a smirk. "They are however familiar due to an escapade a few months back. Surely you have heard about that during your time here, Grin?"

"Some. Recently" Grin scoffed. "Didn't interest me. Roanapur's already a dump. Don't need a maid to clean it up."

"Ah, but you misunderstand us Reaper." Balalaika chuckled. "This is no ordinary person that we're talking about. This is NOT just any maid, but the Maid. None other than the Bloodhound of Florencia herself and she's here on our doorstep."

This just got interesting. "Is that right?" Grin said with interest glistening in his eye. "Why?"

"We don't know. But whatever it is, it isn't going to benefit any of us. Right now, we're going through all this trouble just to find her and stop whatever trouble she may cook up."

"She's bad news?"

"That is all up to her now. But the chances of nothing happening are as slim as a druggie on crack. So we prepare for the worst."

"There a reward?"

"So it would seem." Balalaika leaned back on her chair and lit herself a cigar. "The Cartels are giving a reward for any information anyone would cook up. But as for her head, there is a grand prize. It would be about $400,000. Dead or Alive."

"Hide what you want with that mask of yours Reaper but I can see what you want." Balalaika said amidst the mist of smoke. "I've seen how you operate and how you act in your assignments. But I warn you though she's no pushover. It's possible that she could be out of your league."

"We shall see about that." Grin passively said.

"Good luck to that then. You may take your leave." Balalaika blew out some smoke. "Thank you for your time."

Well, lets go and do some digging. Disappearing amidst the unsuspecting crowds, Grin went out hunting. The rest of the afternoon was spent on finding what he could about the so-called "Maid" in the sidelines of every conversation. Sadly, he found nothing of importance and failed to find a lead as to where she was. People treated the situation as an Elvis sighting and most were dead ends.

Many of the rumors he pried on from people sounded like tall tales that parents would say to their children's bedtime stories. The citizens of Roanapur perceived her as a cross between a boogieman and the terminator. The stories repeated themselves with different turns but apart from that, he found nothing else.

Exhausted and with patience wearing thin, Grin decided that he needed a deserving break. He found a diner nearby and decided to retire there for the time being. Maybe even get a nice drink to freshen up his mind. But upon entering the diner, he came across the scene that gave new light to his lethargic being.

"Excuse me Mr. bartender, but would you know anything about where I could find a Signore Rock?" A little girl said with a polite tone.

Grin guessed that she was of South American origin perhaps, based on her accent alone. She had green hair and a brown complexion. Looking like a kid in her early teens, she stood no more than an inch above Grin's waist. What made her stand out most was her outfit. Apart from a kiddy lunchbox on her side, she was dressed up completely in a maid's attire.

Grin couldn't believe his eyes and stood in awe at how lucky he could get. At last, his search was over in a flash. He had to admit that this had to be one of the easiest jobs he's ever done.

_As easy as it is however, she's said to be one hell of a fighter. _Grin thought as he kept his gaze on the girl. _But if this is her then she must pack some serious skills._

Grin remained in his indifferent attitude but never left the girl out of his sight. His hand reached to his pockets and was about to hold his gun when he noticed something amiss. He caught a glimpse of her eye as she turned about and asked one of the other patrons regarding her previous question.

This odd girl did not have the eyes of a killer. This was entirely a different person. Most people however failed to realize this. As one would have it, one of the patrons rose from his seat and pulled out his gun. His sights were aimed at the girl.

"Finally found you!" The thug bellowed. Raising his gun out as he did. "Ya little bi-"

An unseen hand stopped the man's loud mouth short. A shot was fired but it only damaged the ceiling. The inaudible murmur ceased as the patrons of the bar had all eyes on the middle of the commotion.

Grin held the thug's mouth tight and dropped him back to his chair. The thug cursed as he fell on his ass. He was about to retaliate for the upset, but a stern glare from the Reaper made him sink back to his seat.

Turning back to the girl, Grin saw that her eyes were now fixated on him. She looked at him with curiosity but with extreme caution. He could see her fingers flinching on her sides.

A brief silence ensued with neither party making a move. With time running short and patience wearing thin, Grin decided to break the ice and get it over with.

"Let's talk outside." Grin growled before leaving for the door. He waited for her outside and lit himself a smoke.

The girl took her time inside before coming out. She looked at him warily and with contempt. Grin saw through her and made the good guess that the girl was not just an ordinary girl. How else would she be going about the city alone, unattended?

Nothing gets past Grin's eye. Not even the illusion of an innocent little maid. A killer the little girl may not be but she had a look of a fighter, a nimble one too if he had to guess. She carried herself up with pride and walked towards him meekly but with a trained grace.

"Name?" The Reaper asked.

"Fabiola Igesias." The girl replied. "Might I ask for yours, sir?"

"Grin."

"Well Signore Grin, I thank you for saving me earlier though it was not needed. I could very well take care of myself." Fabiola curtsied. Talking to scum or not, Fabiola could never ignore her lessons of politeness and grace.

"Don't mention it." Grin replied. He paused as he took a whiff. "Thought you could help me."

"And why would I help you?" Fabiola looked at him darkly. "Don't think as though I am indebted to you for anything."

"We got something we need." Grin flicked away his cigarette. "Tell me what I need to know. I'll tell you where to find Rock."

"And how are you associate with Signore Rock?" Fabiola asked austerely.

"He's a…friend of mine." Grin replied awkwardly. He wasn't quite sure of that fact himself. It was the best to describe his relationship with him and the Lagoon Company.

"You hesitated." Fabiola said. Her eyes narrowed and glared at him. Her foot took a step back as to prepare for a coming fight. "Is it that you are lying? I should have known better than to trust a denizen of this wretched city. I could already smell the musk of filth that comes from you. If you will not tell me a better story than that pathetic excuse, then forgive me to say that my time would be better spent elsewhere."

Fabiola raised her chin high and walked away from the Reaper. Barely taking a few steps, Fabiola felt her feet rise from the ground. She was brusquely turned about and came once again face to face with the Reaper. A pang of fear crawled up her spine as she noticed the beady red eye looking at her.

"Heh." Grin said, amused. "A lot of words. From a little girl. Wouldn't pause to kill you. If I didn't need you. Don't misunderstand. He is a friend. Just not so keen with calling people that. If you get my gist."

Grin gestured to his mask and gave it a quick tap.

"Got something heavy?" Grin said. "Don't look fat."

"A maid of my caliber requires me to be prepared for ANY situation." Fabiola said. "This city and people like you simply obliges me to take special precautions. Now it is my turn to ask, why should I trust you?"

"You don't. Just have to." Grin growled. "Believe it or not. I am the only one who can help you. No one else will. If you wont take it. You'll end up on the street corner. Or in a ditch. If you cross the wrong folk. You with me or not?"

"Alright then, agreed." Fabiola said after much thought. "What do you want to know?"

"The Maid? Where is she?" Grin asked bluntly.

"Forgive me for the trouble Signore, but I do not know." Fabiola's eyes turned away for a moment. She thought of her words carefully. "Truth be told, I am search for the Head Maid myself. My information brought me to this despicable city in my search. I took it upon myself to search for Signore Rock to assist me."

"What's he got to do with this?"

"The young master, Senior Garcia Lovelace of whom I serve said that he could help us with our search since he was the most trustworthy character with a good lay of the land. But so far, I have no success with my own search. Forgive me again sir for not being of more help." Fabiola bowed in apology.

"Don't worry about it." _Another fucking dead end. _"Rock's at the Yellow Flag. Near the Docks." Grin said.

Fabiola wanted to thank him for his assistance since she spent countless hours searching in vain. Before she could do so however, Grin turned around and left. She tried following him but he disappeared into the crowds like a ghost. Fabiola was thus left alone in a sea of faceless people and was left to wonder who the person named Grin was.

_ Grin called it a day and went back to the hospital. Empty handed once again. The rest of the day was spent silently brooding in the corner of the dim lit basement. The walls echoed with wet scraping steel and running water as he cleaned and sharpened his tools from his latest victim. _

_ His latest experiment involved reattaching artificial organs onto living subjects. Grin used parts of the organs and stitched it together with crude machinery and protruding wires. He hoped that it would improve the workload of the organs and in a way, the life of the person. However, the theory was still far from perfect. None of the test subject however survived and the organs were not functioning. _

_ Grin paid no heed to the failed experiments. The hunt for the Bloodhound was still fresh in his mind. He must admit that it distracted him a little as most of his thoughts were on the hunt than on the operating table. _

_ The Bloodhound covered her tracks well and no one had seen her since. The trail was getting cold. Plans to root her out fell to disfavor since Grin had no link to what she wanted in the town. The best he could do now was to simply wait patiently and allow the Maid to make the first mood. The plan however was flawed. _

_ If the Maid would go out to the open, then the whole city will be out for blood. Even Grin would not get the opportunity to take her out due to the mass of rivals on her tail. He could not allow that to come to pass. Apart for the reward for her head, Grin wanted the thrill of getting the chance to fight her. Her reputation alone proved herself to be a worthy opponent and he itched to experience that._

_ Without warning, a shudder came crawling up Grin's spine. It was an odd and peculiar feeling that Grin felt was only trouble. A part of him could somehow feel that she was close and was coming his way. The aroma of blood and gunpowder was ominously getting close. So close that it started to make his hands tingle. The Bloodhound was close and what's more was, she was coming this way. _

_ As though on cue, a red light glared above Grin. It was the silent alarm that Dr. Miura set up in case of emergencies. Namely taking care of hooligans that try to rob or vandalize the hospital. But there was something different was going on right then. Grin knew that it was no ordinary situation. Once again, luck was at his side. The_ _Bloodhound_ _was on his doorstep._


	13. The Maid and the Reaper

It started with a woman appearing out of thin air. She entered through the large double doors and let the cold breeze chill everyone's spine. The Maid slowly made her way to the counter where Miura was whilst all the witnesses stood aghast. It was all a blur after that.

Miura woke up and found himself on the ground with his face bloodied and bruised. It took him a while to realize that the woman that stood on top of him was the Bloodhound herself. The Maid, which the entire city was looking for, was in his very hospital that very night. And she did not appear to be in a good mood.

Miura's heart pumped faster than it had ever before. He felt closer to death now than the time he got shot. Despite all that, her presence alone was more frightening. It grinned above him with hungry eyes. Behind her, laid Jeff and Terry with bleeding flesh and broken bones.

The two staff members tried overpowering her in vain. They did so in a foolish attempt to defend the aging Head Doctor. She crushed them without any effort and so they lie broken and unconscious.

"We could have done things more civilly. Why did you have to be so thoughtless as to challenge me?" The Maid known as Roberta said. Her head ticked between sentences. Her eye's glistened with murder and her lips etched a smile of sadism.

"Now answer me, doctor. I'm asking nicely now. I would like to have what I came here for." Roberta said as she stood on top of the aging Miura.

"And I told you before." Miura wheezed. "We don't have those pills anymore! You weren't listening. Those things are dangerous!"

"That is very unfortunate. And much more unfortunate, for you." Roberta said. She showed no particular attention to the doctor's warnings, or to any words that he said. She was in her own little world now. "I may have not gotten what I needed, but I will not leave empty handed."

Roberta stepped hard on the aging doctor's face. Miura knew that he had no chance moving the boot or winning any fight against her. The sound of cracking started to form. His vision started getting blurry as he was running out of air. He could taste his blood from his mouth as it slowly constricted him.

Salvation came in a form of a button that lay just a few inches away from him. Miura struggled to reach for it and pressed it so hard as though his life literally depended on it.

"And who are you calling now, might I ask?" Roberta paused her torture. "More men for me to slay?"

"Not quite..." Miura beamed with his trademark smile.

Before Roberta could question the man's cryptic words, the elevator came to life across the room. Her gun aimed at the portal instinctively and watched. The rusted doors creaked itself open, revealing a tall man wearing a loose surgeon's attire. Fresh blood caked its apron and a beastly gasmask spewed mist from its mouthpiece. It evenly adjusted its gloves as it walked out of the elevator.

"Grin the Reaper." Roberta said coldly. "I know of you. Your reputation in the underworld is legendary, even in the ears of the FARC at the other end of the world. To think that I would meet such a foe in the bottom of this desolate city. I could almost say that it is fitting.

"The one and only." Grin growled. "Get off the old man. We'll talk in here. Civilly."

He moved aside and opened the door next to him that led to the cafeteria.

It took a while before anyone made a move. The two murderous psychos simply glared at each other from afar. It was only when Roberta decided took her foot of the struggling doctor that everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Head Doctor Miura especially. The sound of tapping shoes echoed the silent lobby as the Maid made her way to the door behind the Reaper.

Grin did not let his feelings betray him and attack once the Maid was right in front of his nose. Neither did he let his guard down throughout the ordeal as she passed right in front of him. The Maid complied more or less with his demands and did nothing herself. She politely seated herself to a table.

"About time you showed up." Miura coughed. He struggled to stand without his cane. His arm was wrapped around his chest and struggled to breath.

The other staff had a hard time getting to their feet as well. Most had signs of broken bones and large bruises. Terry, despite his wounds being more severe – namely a protruding bone on his arm - made it a priority to assist the old doctor to his feet.

"Can't have all the fun now can I?" Grin snidely remarked before disappearing behind the door.

Roberta properly seated herself in the middle of the room amidst the rows of metal tables. She sat there patiently as the Reaper entered and closed the door behind him. Not a blink was spared as she looked and watched him approach her.

The air around him reeked of death and gave her quite a picture of what kind of man he was. The very sight of him screams ferocity and inhumanity. This however did not bother Roberta. She did not show discontent nor fear towards the man. How could she, when she was definitely in the same league as him.

Grin joined her to the seat in front of her and observed the curious character. Her glasses shone in the light, hiding most of her eyes and her intentions. Her hands harmlessly lied on the table without qualm. She revealed nothing else other than an illusion of a simple housemaid. The aura of innocence that surrounded her simply made her an even more dangerous adversary.

"You hide yourself well," Grin growled. "Better than most. Spent a lot of time finding you. And here you are. At my doorstep. Why?"

"So even the Reaper joins in the hunt. I must admit that I feel honored to be called worthy prey." Roberta replied with a soft voice. Her eyes however betrayed the formalities of her speech.

"Answer the question." Grin growled indifferently. He never liked people patronizing him.

"Very well." Roberta replied in a polite tone. "I has come to my attention that this hospital had with it a certain type of medicine that I need. I simply came here to purchase some. That is all."

"That answers one. But not the whole picture." Grin growled. "Heard you caused a ruckus here once. Blew up a bar. Wrecked an entire street. Got in a fistfight with Two-Hands. All for some boy. Then left without a word."

"What is the question?" Roberta said aloofly.

"Question is. After that mess, why come back. To a city with your face on every corner?"

"That is none of your concern, Reaper." Roberta said. Her glasses peeked down and revealed venomous eyes. "My business here is of my own and I will not divulge this to anyone else. Especially to the likes of you.

"And the US soldiers. Grey Fox? Are they a part of your scheme" Grin asked.

The Maid's silence was the enough for an answer. He deduced that the Maid was in town for revenge, nothing more. She wouldn't even to burn it down to the ground in order to achieve it. Grin could see in her eyes that she is capable of doing so.

"Speaking of medicine." Grin said to ease the tension. "Could have asked nicely for it. Didn't need to beat up the staff. To a pulp"

"That was never my intention to start with." Roberta replied brusquely. "I came here just to purchase medicine and nothing more. I simply defended myself when the staff failed to comply and attacked me. They were hardly worth my time."

"I'd think so too. Stupid idiots." Grin commented unsympathetically. "Cant cut anything straight. Especially Jeff. The skinny prick."

"Hey!" Jeff interrupted by barging through the doors. Behind them were Miura and the others visibly eave's dropping. "Who you calling a skinny prick!? You maggot pocked corpse!"

Grin replied by throwing a knife a Jeff without looking away from the Maid. Jeff managed to close the door in time. The knife imbedded itself deep into the door with a loud thud an inch away from Jeff's face.

"A-a-alright…Sh-shutting up now!" Jeff stuttered. "C-continue."

"Now. What medicine?" Grin continued. He acted as though the interruption never happened.

"I am in need of more of this." Roberta replied. She was also unaffected by the rude disturbance. She took out an empty container of anti-hallucinogenic pills and placed it on the table. "I heard your hospital has the very medicine I needed and so here I am."

"No prescription?" Grin half-joked. He took the bottle and fiddled it on his hand. "What troubles you? To be so desperate?"

"I have been experiencing various hallucinations as of late." Roberta said with a hint of uneasiness. "Hallucinations of people. People I have killed before. It has been going on for quite some time now. Starting first from my dreams. Lately however, they have been appearing wherever I go. They hound me every day, reminding me of my sins. I want it all to stop."

Roberta paused for a moment to collect her thoughts before continuing. "I am guessing you know who I am?"

"Yes." Grin replied. "The Bloodhound of Florencia."

"Indeed. And now I fear that I am close into becoming her once more. It is driving me insane!" Roberta slammed at the steel table. It left a large dent out of it. "I just want it all to stop. I want to forget about that life."

"Why stop the inevitable?" Grin coldly said.

"Because I do not want to be her anymore." Roberta replied and made a small tear.

_This is getting nowhere. I'm starting to feel like Dr. Phil_. Grin mused as he leaned back and twiddled his fingers.

"That Lovelace boy. Garcia." Grin growled. "He has something to do. About this?"

A glimpse of surprise etched in her face after Grin's comment. It had the phrase 'How the fuck do you know about that?' written all over it.

"It had everything to with him." Roberta said with a small smile. "I do not want to be the that Bloodhound, that murderer anymore. That life I had with that family gave me a sense of normalcy in my brutal life. I am tired of it all and I want to forget all those atrocities I have done. I want to be his Roberta. All for him."

"Do you ever see them?" Roberta asked. "Those ghosts? Who hound you every hour of every day of the sins and evils you've committed?"

"Yes." Grin has remembered every face that he has personally killed since his first in Texas. They appeared, as they were the last time Grin saw them as talking corpses. They spoke of their dreams, life, vendettas against him and failed plans like a broken record. Guilt was their poison and they use it well to drive people mad.

"How do you deal with it?" Roberta asked.

"I accept it." Grin replied coldly. "I don't deny it. The truth. I am what they call me. A monster. A murderer. A psychopath. Got no sense of morality. I feel nothing. Don't expect any clemency. Not from anyone."

"My path is set. No turning back. For neither me. Nor any of us. That I know. We are all fated to die. In the end. Might as well make it…memorable. Then face those ghosts. That reminds us so. And deal with it. I still do."

"You are a twisted evil man, Reaper." Roberta said venomously.

"I am." Grin said with a mock salute. "Takes one. To know one."

"As emotional as that was. Back to business. The pills are not here." Grin nonchalantly said after an uncomfortable silence. "They are destroyed."

"What?" Roberta looked at him with dangerous eyes. "Why?"

"Side effects. Mortal side effects. Gives the user extensive hallucinations. It slowly poisons the mind. Which would lead to the user's inevitable death. Especially when overdosed. It was just bad business. Our good doctor took care of it."

Grin could hear her fuming from her seat. Her knuckles cracked and her face snarled at him in anger. Grin watched her coldly as she pushed herself off her chair and pushed the table away. Roberta reached out and grabbed Grin by the neck, then pulled him close with a fist in tow. Grin rebuffed her attack in a flash and caught the fist midway.

"If you're desperate to kill yourself. I won't stop you." Grin said. "Relax. There's another supplier." He let go of her hand as soon as he felt the Maid relax by a bit.

"On the other side of town is a doctor. He's got the meds you need. Dumb fuck wouldn't ask questions." Grin wrote down the information on a sheet and passed it to Roberta.

"I appreciate your assistance. Thank you for your help. Reaper." Roberta nodded and took the note. She noticed that the Reaper had not made any gesture of dismissal. He remained as he was.

"Are you not going to let me pass?" Roberta asked.

"No."

"Why go through the trouble of talking with me if you were after my head in the first place?" Roberta's eyes narrowed.

"My shift." Grin motioned to the clock at the other side of the room. "Doesn't finish for another minute. Patient before victim, you know."

"With you being here." Grin growled as he adjusted his gloves. "Saves me the trouble of finding you. And no one else gets in the way. Wouldn't want my efforts go to waste."

"And here I believed that we have reached an understanding and that there was no reason to fight." Roberta spat "In the end you are vermin like the rest of this city. Scavengers who turn up for fresh meat. An animal who reeks of death."

"Don't lie. You've the look of murder since you arrived." Grin growled. "And I wouldn't turn down any fight. Especially not against you. _Bloodhound of Florencia."_

"Your pride will be your downfall, Reaper." Roberta said complacently.

"Then don't disappoint me." Grin growled as he looked at the Maid eye to eye.

The Reaper breathed out a fine mist of gas before unexpectedly charging forward. The Maid was caught of guard by the haze and was gored by the Reaper. She was carried across the room and was bashed through the metal tables.

Furniture flew past and equipment was crushed as Grin held Roberta by the leg and was spun around like a wrecking ball. With little effort, Grin threw the Maid at a wall across the room and was pinned down by a fury of blows.

Dazed for a moment from the assault, Roberta came back to her senses after taking a few heavy hits. She acted fast and fought back with her own barrage of punches and counters. Her days in the FARC, gave her the strength to break down concrete walls and limbs as strong as iron.

To her surprise the Reaper appeared unaffected by any of it. His skin felt like leather and his muscles were hard like stone and he didn't even bother to dodge any of her attacks. Even though she could hear bones breaking. He only parried the hits while keeping his stance for a counter attack.

It was only then that Roberta realized that the man wasn't a grunt as she had expected. The Reaper didn't fall for the same trick twice and always aimed for her vitals for full damage. He was testing her capabilities and leaves himself open to prove it before calculating an effective counterattack. The man was a tactical genius.

Not wanting to be one-upped in close quarters combat, Roberta intentionally let herself get cornered on a wall. She waited for the Reaper to hit her with his strong left and dodged at the right moment. As expected, the fist came flying and imbedded itself in the wall behind her.

Seeing the opportunity, Roberta kicked the Reaper hard on the stomach and sent him falling on his back. With the Reaper down on the floor, Roberta unsheathed her pistols and fired. To her displeasure, her wrists were strained from the fistfight and prevented her from shooting properly.

Grin acted fast and rolled out of harms way. He quickly rolled behind a table and toppled down it for cover. Regaining his balance while the table ate bullets, Grin rose and threw the table forward. The Maid dodged the projectile and sent it crashing outside the window. Amidst the small distraction, Grin drew his own gun and fired back.

Both fighters danced about the room firing their weapons at each other with all their might. They tried outmaneuvering each other through a hail of lead as they leaped, dodged, and strafed all over. The distance between the two soon started narrowing down till they collided with each other at full force.

Guns continued firing as the two of them grappled each other face to face. They struggled to point their weapons at each other's heads while enduring the deafening noise being blasted near their ears. Hot shells, fresh with ember, bounced off to each other's skin while elbows and fists were being struck back and forth. With a shove, the Maid broke away from the Reaper and spent her remaining clip on him.

Though taking a few shots, Grin acted fast and raised his left arm. Using it as a shield, his metal prosthetic blocked the barrage the Maid had unleashed. Sparks and ricochets flew around the room as the onslaught continued. A few slugs still stabbed at him, but his quick thinking deducted the damage the attack would have done if he didn't.

As soon as the Roberta's gun made it's first click and ran dry, Grin made his move. He charged forward and tackled the Maid through the window and both fell down the street. A passing car broke their fall and sent them tumbling in the middle of the noisy highway.

Sirens blared and engines roared as the two fell down to the streets. The impact was deafened by the noise of moving vehicles around them. Grin barely had time to roll out of the way as a car passed his way. When he managed to get on his feet, a fist flew in and greeted him straight to his face. As Grin was trying to get back on his feet, a car grazed him at the back and the Maid took the opportunity to hook him with another punch.

As impressed as he was at the current outcome of the fight, Grin was at a disadvantage. He was torn up due to the bullet wounds and could not keep up with the fast and agile opponent. The Maid danced behind the passing cars before reappearing with an attack. She kept her distance and stayed clear from the Reaper's heavy strikes that proved useless in the compact spaces given by the passing vehicles.

_The Bitch plays her cards well. Too bad I got one too. _Grin timed it well and allowed the Maid to hit him where he wanted. The Maid took the bait and was caught by the Reaper and slammed her on the incoming cars. Grin kept the momentum of the attack and did not leave any room for any counter attacks. He finished it off by launching his metal fist at the Maid at point blank range.

The gas-compressed shot hit her straight to the stomach and launched her to the air. The unexpectedness of the attack was clearly seen in Roberta's face. Her eyes grew wide in surprise and spat blood as the blast literally knocked her off her heels. Before she could react, something grabbed on to her and slammed her to a passing car.

Roberta saw that it was the Reaper's dislodged hand that grabbed on to her. She saw the Reaper in the middle of the highway pulling on the chain before slamming her to another vehicle. The crashes sent cars off the roads and into the buildings. Others tried avoiding the chaos and ended up colliding with each other, resulting to more chaos on the streets.

With inhuman strength and will, Roberta spun the chain around her midair before being hit on the side of a passing truck, denting it. Using the chain as a makeshift armor, she managed to lessen the damage of the impact. She then flipped herself on top of the truck and fixed herself in place with her knife.

Grin immediately saw what she was doing and tried escaping. The chains were tied in tight around the Maid and he can't pull her in. He soon ran out of chain and was dragged along the highway. The Maid's quick thinking managed to turn the tables against him. Grin hated to admit it, but he was impressed.

Grin felt the asphalt on his face as his flesh was scraped along the road. The Maid was purposely leading the chain towards passing vehicles and had Grin slam into them. He tried getting back on his feet with great difficulty.

With a flick of his wrist, a small gun slid out to Grin's hand. It was his back up gun. The range of the gun was dreadfully short so it would have no effect to the distance between him and the Maid. Grin instead aimed at the wheels of the cars in front of him and sent them sliding off the road and away from him.

The truck, oblivious to the battle occurring behind it, made a sharp turn. Grin had an idea at the last minute. As the truck turned, he rolled himself to the sidewalk and tied himself around a light post. Grin held on tight and caught only a glimpse of the fruits of his labor. The chain held tight and launched the Maid from the truck. She was then slingshotted to a nearby building with a loud crash.

Grin was amused at how effective his attack has been. It took an effort to get back on his feet. He tilted his mask open and allowed a puddle of blood form on the pavement. He deduced that he has a few broken rib bones, dislocated joints in the left arm and legs, 7 bullet wounds and obvious signs of internal bleeding. As cocky and careless as it would sound, Grin wanted the fight to continue.

Grin snapped his leg in place and slowly made his way into the building. Pedestrians kept their distance for him as he walked passed. They could do nothing more but watch at how the show would come to a close. None dared approach the man as he disappeared behind the door.

The chain rattled as Grin reeled in his catch from the dark. The damage of the building showed just how devastating his attack was on the Maid. Grin was concerned that it might have a chance of killing her. From the shadows it soon revealed an unconscious Maid being dragged on the floor with her face down in the floor and hair covering her face. Grin picked her up above the ground and looked at her eye to eye.

"You got skill I give you that." Grin wheezed. "But in the end. I am disappointed. Thought that you might be. The one to end me."

He dropped the corpse on the floor and kneeled right next to it.

"Wonder if they'll let me dissect you." Grin mused, "After they're done with you. You are quite a specimen. Fought with a lot of people. In my time. But you. You take the cake."

"How I would love. To see how you tick." Grin said before giving her a kick. He leaned in close to her. "Not so tough now are you?"

The Maid's fingers gave a quick twitch. Grin hardly noticed it before it reached out and grabbed him by the mask. It pulled him close and saw the mad eyes of the now reawakened Bloodhound.

"Not so tough without this now, are you?" Roberta snarled before crushing the mask before Grin's very eyes. She ripped it from Grin's face and then followed it with a punch that sent him flying across the room.

Grin was shocked at how the Maid managed to recover so fast. No human being could have taken an impact like that without taking some damage. Grin struggled to stand and looked aghast at how the Bloodhound has now reemerged and has managed to tear his only weakness from his face.

He could slowly feel the agony crawling in his system. He could feel his body convulsing as he began to feel every agonizing pain from the damage he has taken. The pain was so great that Grin could do nothing and just watch as the Maid went at him and started beating him to a pulp.

_I think I'm in love. _Grin thought as he took hit after hit. Each felt as hard as iron _No one has ever beaten me up like this. _The Maid held him by the throat and kneed him in the stomach.

_I'm about to lose. Badly. _She held him a foot off the ground with her hands on his face.

_Alas, I shall fly to the arms of Death once more. _Grin closed his eyes and waited for his inevitable end. _At long last… _

"You are a skillful man, Reaper." The Maid spoke. She panted heavily between each word. "Never have I experienced such savagery in combat such as this. I thank you for that."

_What? The Fuck is she babbling about?_

"I believe I'm starting to understand you now, Reaper." Roberta continued. "You fight without care of self preservation. You face danger without qualm and shrug off pain as if it was nothing. You are not afraid of death. You revel in it. Relishing every battle and the chance to meet it at any situation. I'm correct am I not?"

_Hmmm. Not a bad deduction. I'm a tad impressed. But I won't nod for THIS woman._

"They say that you are not afraid of death."

_Yes._

"You are afraid of life."

_What? _Grin tilted his head down and looked at the Maid.

"So it is true." Roberta chuckled of a second. "It seems that you are a weak man after all, Reaper. You are nothing more than a coward who dared not face his own demons. Despite having survived through those wounds you bear, you have not the will to go beyond it and continue. You are just a broken man with an even more broken mind, a mind of a weakling who is afraid of his own shadow. It's so pathetic that it almost makes me want to pity you."

"But I won't. You came between my revenge and me. I won't forgive you for that. Sweet dreams, Reaper." Roberta said indifferently. "Just remember in your last moments that you lost to me."

Roberta dropped him to the floor and raised her foot to stomp out his bleeding head. Grin fell flat on his back. His body slightly shook in pain and his breathing was strained. It took only a few seconds but within Grin's mind, it felt more like hours.

Grin thought about what she said. He had denied the inconvenient truth his entire life was too stubborn to accept it. Anger bubbled up inside him as he slowly came to realize that the Maid was right. She was right about him on everything

A loud crash echoed itself in the dark halls, but not one that Roberta expected. She hoped to hear the sound of cracking bones and the gush of blood. Instead, there was the breaking of marble and wood. The floor gave in and sunk in half her leg. The Reaper had rolled out of the way and averted his defeat.

"Like hell I'd lose to you!" Grin shouted and gave an uppercut that threw the Maid up in the air. Adding the assault with a powerful kick the Maid was sent tumbling backwards a few feet away.

Digging into his pockets, Grin took out 2 large syringes and held it with each hand. Each syringe contained Grade A adrenaline and injected both into his chest.

The drug expelled most of the pain from his body. Though he would still felt pain, it gave him an extreme burst of energy and added strength to fight. His Grin charged at the Maid and slammed her through the concrete walls of the building. Adding a furious barrage of fists, Grin pushed back the Maid and vented out his fury before throwing her to the front of the streets.

At the sound of a bell, the two went at it like beasts for the final bout. Blows were exchanged, blood was splattered amidst the street and bodies were pushed to the limit. There was no sign of any tactics or tricks between each strike. The match simply fell to a brutal slugfest with each not giving up any ground.

"Let's Finish This!" Grin and Roberta bellowed. Their fists collided with each other and caused a rupture in the air. A large crackling sound echoed amidst the streets as the two forces met. The collision caused Grin's metal arm to explode and cave in. Shrapnel, screws and chains flew past as the Maid's fist broke through it all.

Dazed and in pain due to the imbedded steel digging into his arm, Grin lay helpless as the Maid tackled him to the floor. The Maid proceeded with pummeling the Reaper with heavy low angled blows that made him spew blood all over the pavement.

Fighting back with what he had, Grin unpredictably laced what was left of his chains around the Maid's body. Praying that his arm was still functioning, Grin blasted the Maid with compressed air and sent her airborne. It so happened that she fell over where a lamppost stood and hung her there by the neck.

_Don't struggle. It will all soon be over. _Grin held tight as he watched the Maid above him choking. Her kicking was starting to get frantic and she started swinging by the chains. It was only a matter of time before she succumbs and dies.

Before Grin realized it however it was too late. The Maid managed to swing in close enough to kick him off the chains. And to add insult to the following injury, she kicked him in front of a moving truck.

A bright light was the last thing Grin saw before completely blacking out.


	14. The End of the Beginning

Chang entered the room alone. The room was a modest one at most with clean white walls. It had a large enough space for a small crowd but small enough as to keep one's privacy. He was welcomed by the fresh scent of ethyl alcohol that hung in the air and the sound of beeping apparatuses on the side. In front of him was a medical bed occupied by a single peculiar person.

The person in question was completely buried in bandages, stiches and cement from head to toe. Straps of leather held it's legs up and an arm (the only one) was in a cask that lay on the person's breast. Wires and plastic tubes protruded out of its body to a machine that keeps him alive.

A respirator was strapped to its head. It was transparent and revealed a bit of the man's face. It showed disfigured man with a hole for a nose and exposed teeth that imitated a grin. Chang would have admitted of being startled after seeing the man's face the first time he saw it.

When his men came in dragging the body to his building, it was in the most brutal shape imaginable. The wretched state of the living corpse made Darkman and Freddy Krueger look like a gentlemen.

Chang was glad that his men were smart enough to use the back ways to bring the body up. He directed them through the service halls and elevators, where most of his _Dealings _go through and had it brought to the infirmary.

It was preferable that way. Won't scare any of his guests. It would shut up any questions from rats and snoops. The fact that cleaning up the new carpets in the lobby would also be expensive.

At the side of the bed, Chang found Sawyer leaning over and sleeping soundlessly. Her face laid on her arms and her hand held tight on the bandaged man's hand. He smiled at how lovely the two would have looked. She has been the Reaper's only visitor.

Chang saw the small bouquet she left on Grin's bedside table, a scarlet rose. Fitting for the 'lovely' couple in a dead city. With a gentle nudge, Chang woke her up from her slumber. The pale girl looked at Chang with surprise and immediately bowed her head to him in respect.

"Go on home, Sawyer." Chang said as he laid his hand on her head. "I can take it from here." Chang had her stand up and walked her through the door and closed it shut.

The events that transpired at the damage dealt along the streets of East side were still in question. News was vague and many theories of supposed events popped up along the side. Most of them however came from the panicked bystanders and crack heads that weren't even there so info was unreliable. One thing was certain. Most of the rumors mention a certain Maid and the Reaper.

After fortunately finding the Reaper that same night, Chang made sure that his status and location was kept secret. For the Reaper's safety as well as his own. Information was a powerful weapon in his business, and Chang wouldn't let that opportunity slip. Besides, having the Reaper under his roof opened up some potential opportunities that would benefit him in the future.

The only person he included on the secret outside his inner circle was Sawyer 'the Cleaner'. He thought it necessary to include Sawyer on the information. Made apparent by the obvious relationship the two had. He knows that she wasn't the type who would share secrets with anyone.

"I know you're conscious." Chang said. He sat himself to a chair next to the bed. He jolted it with a kick. "Enough with the act and wake up. We have to talk."

Chang waited as the Reaper slowly opened its eye and looked intently on him. The machine's heart meter beeped faster as the eye glared at him. Chang could almost hear the sound of deep breathing coming from the Reaper. It sounded more like a growl from a hungry predator.

The Reaper's jaw was broken to pieces and required metal braces and screws to keep it all together. Including a dry throat, it would result with much difficulty speaking. Let alone chewing. Chang watched as the bound man move his mouth about and spewed out garbled words.

"Heh…" Grin coughed out a chuckle. "Hw did…yu no?" _How did you know?_

"Know what? That you were awake this entire time?" Chang said. With a finger, he pointed to a camera high above a corner. He watched as the Reaper's eye followed. "Nothing gets by me in MY palace in the sky. Happened to see you in one of the monitors catching a quick glance at Sawyer while she was sleeping right at your side. Cute kid. She's been visiting you whenever she could after she heard about what happened."

"Wut did…hpn?" _What did happen? _Grin asked. He already had the answer for that. He just wanted to know what Chang knew about the situation.

"Hmmm. The doctors DID mention possible brain damage." Chang muttered to himself before answering. "Well, I was wondering if you could answer that for me. Fill in the blanks, if you can. Just to get a clear picture."

Grin felt a tad frustrated by Chang's answer. He was a hard man to read. It did not give him the info that he wanted to get out of the Chinaman. Hiding his disappointment from Chang's watchful eye, Grin decided to have him start talking and hope that Chang would slip up.

"Hwd I…git hr?" _How did I get here? _

"I've actually been itching to tell you about that. It's quite the story." Chang replied. "If I could be frank, on the front of a truck that was fortunately enough on its way here. It all happened about a month or so ago…"

Flashback: A Few Weeks ago…

Biu entered the main office in the top floor of the building. Boss Chang was seated from behind the center desk met him with a nod. He was smoking his usual cigarettes with a glass of rum on his hand. A hand rested on his cheek as the Triad boss was deep in thought. His eyes gazed past the windows and overlooked the city.

"Things are heating up here, Biu." Chang said without turning from his seat. "Something's coming this way that we are not prepared for. Our next moves in these few days will define the fate of this little kingdom."

"Yes, _Dai Lo_." Biu responded.

"Any news about that incident at the East side?" Chang asked.

Firefights were a common nuisance in the city. Most usually occur at night and gave the city an early New Year's fireworks. The incident in East side however felt different. It was evident that it was no simple firefight as there was so much devastation in such a short time.

Bombs would be a good excuse but it wasn't the case with this one. Chang would know since he hadn't heard of a single explosion the entire night. Only the sounds of crashing and the sight of fire and smoke were visible from the safety of his building. This felt like something big. He could feel it.

"None as of yet, _Dai Lo_." Biu replied. "I had just sent our men to the scene. The police had already quarantined the area for us so it would be easier to move about."

"Good. Update me as soon as they dig something up." Chang said.

_East side. Its technically neutral ground so fights like this common. _Chang thought. _My gut's telling me however that's not the case tonight. That's near where the Reaper's hospital is now was it? Wonder if he's got something to do with it?_

"Well then, now that part is done with. Lets get down to business." Chang turned from his chair and approached his front desk. "Tonight's batch made it in one piece I hope?"

"Yes _Dai Lo. _The trucks are carrying in the latest shipment are on their way to the main cargo hold." Biu handed over the ledgers. "All reports from the deliveries appeared to be in good order except however from one. One of our trucks brought in with it a body in the oddest of places."

"That's nothing new in this department. But what do you mean in the 'oddest of places'?" Chang raised an eyebrow.

"There was a body imbedded deep in the front of the truck." Biu recounted. "The drivers only took notice of it as they stopped over here to unload the goods. They can't remember where they could have possibly come across it and they were sure that it wasn't there when they left. They could have been driving around the city with the body after leaving the docks."

"I personally had the men pry it off so we could get a closer inspection." Biu continued. "The body itself was already in a terrible condition from something else before colliding with the truck. It was imbedded with bullet wounds, broken bones, bruised face and unimaginable injuries that some of the men felt sick just by looking at it."

"As creative as that is, that's nothing out of the ordinary." Chang paused and blew a stream of smoke. "Call in Adolf and tell him to bring in one of his Cleaners for the mess. The usual rate"

"That wont be needed as of yet, _Dai Lo_. The man is still alive as we speak. Though barely." Biu interrupted. "That is not all_. _This was found in his possession."

Biu reached into his pocket and took out a bloodstained rag. He placed it carefully on top of Chang's table before taking a few steps back.

"Is this who I think it is?" Chang held the rag and fiddled it with his fingers. Beyond the dry blood that flaked the cloth, the insignia of a skull was still visible.

"Yes it is, _Dai Lo." _Biu answered.

"That's the Reaper for you." Chang smiled. "He sure is a stubborn bastard. I want him alive. Tell the doctors to do what they can to save the poor bastard. I might have some use of him. It's one thing to make a deal with the devil, but when it comes to death, it's an obligation."

"Yes, _Dai Lo_." Biu saluted and made his way to the door.

"Oh and one more thing." Chang added as Biu was reaching for the door. "I want to keep this thing under wraps. Keep the whole lid type. No one outside this building is to know that he is here with us. You get me, Biu?"

"Yes, _Dai Lo." _Biu said. "And what of the drivers? The ones who discovered him?"

"Expendable." Chang sternly said before turning his chair about. "You have your orders, Biu."

"Yes, _Dai Lo_." Biu replied with a bow.

Present time…

"They told me that you were quite an amazing mess." Chang said. "Over a hundred stitches, dozens of bullets pried out of you, multiple shattered bones and heavy internal bleeding if I recalled correctly. It took quite a while to patch you up."

"You didn't make it easy for my doctors: Over 30 or so hours in surgery, A ton of iron fillings and cement with enough bandages that would give _Shishio Makoto _a run for his money_."_ Chang joked._ "_You were comatose for over a month now. Most were afraid that you'd be a vegetable once you woke up. Some thought you never would. Proved us wrong, you did. Give it a couple of weeks and some rehab then you'd be back on your feet."

Chang remained silent for a minute and lit himself another smoke. He knew what it felt like to know things after waking up in the coma. He allow the Reaper to take in this information on his own pace.

"Now here's the part where you stop playing dumb and tell me what happened there, Grin." Chang asked sternly. He could see in that the Reaper was a tad surprised at how he managed to figure him out. Chang gave himself a chuckle as he showed his superiority to the Reaper. Who knew that the infamous killer would act like a sore loser?

"Alrt dn…u wn ds rnd." _Alright then. You win this round. _Grin responded.

Chang listened patiently as the Reaper recounted his story. There were some pauses in between due to the difficulty the Reaper had in speaking but Chang paid it no mind. He just sat back and tried imagining the events of Grin's tale. It was told with such vision that Chang wished he was in the scene and filmed it himself for a quick buck.

Chang was a polite man when he needs to be. He didn't even goad or spoke badly to the Reaper when he was told of his loss. It almost made him the most tolerant man amongst the 4 Pillars of Roanapur.

"Wut…apd wid…d mid atr?" Grin asked after finishing the story.

"Come again?" Chang said. "Do you mind speaking clearly?"

With slight annoyance, Grin repeated what he said.

"Wat…hapnd…wid…d mid aftr?" _What happened with the maid after?_

"Oh. That. She's left the city. Out of our hands and out of our lives." Chang replied. "Last I heard, she hunted down and took out Grey Fox in a jungle in Laos or something. Did it all in one night too. Like _Predator _but no _Arnie _to take her out with a tree.But don't feel too bad, Grin. She took it hard herself. Lost her a leg and an arm with a few fingers from that fight. We wont be seeing her again."

Chang heard a gurgling sound coming from the Reaper. He could only guess that it was his way of laughing. Sounded quite demented for Chang and even made creepier by the look of the Reaper's malevolent smile.

"Sorry to pop your bundle of joy, Grin but she's still alive." Chang continued. "Last I heard, she's back in Venezuela with the Lovelace kid and his mini-maid. Had some help from Lagoon Company with that."

Grin gave a sigh and sunk back into the bed. It seems as though everything interesting revolves around the folks at Lagoon Company. If this world were a show, they would be the starring cast. Grin however will be left on the side as an extra. Bummer.

Apart from that, it really bummed Grin out that the Maid was still breathing. She may be a broken tool, but she still has steel in her. She still had an edge. Grin contemplated if that was his purpose for still being in this world, if he could remember his dream correctly.

As shortsighted as that was however, it was still humiliated that that woman defeated him. He would set her up a new set of limbs himself so they could have another go against each other.

"Avn't….sin…u in…a…wyle." Grin rasped after realizing that Chang was still in the room. "Hw r…thngs?" _Haven't seen you in a while. How are things?_

"Hmmm. That is a good question." Chang leaned on the back of a chair. "Well if you think about it, we haven't worked together in any jobs or seen each other lately now these past few months. Not since the job you had with the Lagoon Company by the looks of it. Do you wonder why?"

"Gus…ur…pisd bou…smthng." _Guess you were pissed about something._

"Bingo. You really pissed me off that day at the hospital during that whole Greenback Jane fiasco." Chang replied as he leaned forward. His shades were peaked down from his nose and revealed his serious eyes. His voice remained calm as he spoke. "Not only did you completely rip me off being all Dirty Harry on me, walked away with my money, humiliated me in front of everyone in that room and getting the last laugh at the end of it all. I completely loathe you."

"So?" Grin mumbled with apparent boredom shown in his eye. "U…cud 'ave…sed…no." _You could have said no._

"Things aren't that simple, Reaper." Chang said sharply. "It never is for a man of my stature. I couldn't afford any delay that day since I had an important meeting. If I hadn't, I would have chewed you up like Mike Tyson on the ring." Chang replied.

"That fiasco technically made me a laughingstock to the other organizations when the word got out. Thankfully it didn't ruin much of my reputation. Much. It kinda pisses me off to be honest to see that smug look on your face."

The Reaper looked at him blankly throughout the entire monologue. Chang couldn't resist giving himself a small chuckle. Only a few people would have dared to make statements like that to him and live. Chang found some similarities between him and Rock in some sick way. The two were so different but also so similar.

"Wy g…tru all…de trubl?" _Why go through all the trouble? _Grin asked. "U… het me so…mush…Wynot…kil me?" _If you hate me so much, why not kill me?_

"I could if I would but I won't." Chang casually answered. "I just thought it better to use you instead of killing you right there. Or right here and now. You do have quite the name for yourself and my respect for you is what's keeping you alive right now."

Grin was skeptical Chang's answer. He could not follow where this was going. Whether it was the man's charm or the drugs in him, it prevented him from thinking deep and clearly beyond the riddle.

"I always kept a spare eye on you since you've come waltzing into my city." Chang continued. "Sure to your name, you are fickle. Popping out of nowhere and taking out competitors while giving rise to new ones. You are a real game changer. Even made some friends with the Russian, Balalaika."

"Wtd u…mn?" _What do you mean? _Grin asked.

Grin never liked being praised so he didn't pay attention to most of Chang's monologue but he did hear the last part. He worked with her a few times yes but to no end. They were always at random, vague and without any visible link to the others. Grin turned to listen for Chang's answer to the riddle.

"Things aren't what they used to in this city Grin." Chang said darkly. "All plans I've painstakingly made in the years blew up in smoke. Most may not but the Triad is standing on its last legs and wouldn't live for another 2 years if were lucky. Now new players who didn't know shit about how things worked here are getting a rowdy. Sooner or later the feds will start sniffing and then we'd be in serious shit"

"Simply put you've fucked up everything for me and my organization. Even if it is unintentional. Especially when you took out a very special trump card on his way to court."

_So that's why Balalaika was so edgy that time._ Grin recalled the odd job.

Grin made a sound that sounded like a cross between a bark and a cough. His chest was dilating from the bed and he was slightly thrashing the bed. The Reaper was laughing. Of all people, in front of one of the most powerful man in the city, he laughs at his misfortune.

Most would call him crazy and even more so would call him mad for doing it in front of a man who could squash him right now like a bug. With Grin's current situation, that wouldn't be that impossible. But he also knew that Chang wouldn't put him through saving his life just to kill him and Grin knew he wouldn't start now.

"Laugh it up you bastard." Chang said coolly amidst Grin's broken laughter.. "All that's gonna change cuz you're with me now. Despite all the shit you've put me through, I'm gonna set it all straight. You're my new trump card."

"Hm?" Grin stopped on his tracks. His eye narrowed.

"Ha! I knew that shut you up. To paint you a better picture, Grin." Chang said in a malevolent tone. "You belong to the 14k Triad now, buddy. You're gonna be my ace in the hole." He gave the Reaper a light pat on the head.

In a flash, Grin reached out and grabbed Chang by the collar and pulled him close. Chang's sunglasses fell to the floor as he gazed face-to-face at the wrath shown in the single eye of the Reaper. He saw the Reaper's mouth rip through the bandages as it opened wide and shouted in a coarse voice:

"THE FUCK. DO YOU THINK?! YOU! ARE! DEALING WITH!" Grin shouted.

Already at the verge of death and a broken body, Grin was too stubborn to notice it. His veins were popping and his wounds reopened. The bandages were torn and its staples shot itself all over the room. His heart rate increased in an alarming rate and his breathing intensified.

None of it mattered. Grin held the Chinaman tighter while coursing through the stress and the agony that was tearing him apart. His anger was at becoming someone's pawn, to be taken advantage of and to be used overcame his senses. He was simply too furious to care.

"I belong!" Grin roared. His teeth grinding itself to dust. "To NOBODY!"

The door burst itself open and a dozen Triad members stormed in with haste. Guns drawn, they quickly surrounded the scene and pointed their weapons at Grin.

As much as they wanted to repaint the white walls with the Reaper's guts, the men could only act at the command of Boss Chang. Their obedience and loyalty stood paramount even at the worst of situations.

"Don't think I…didn't expect this… Reaper." Chang struggled to say. "I didn't get to be Boss by…sitting behind the desk and licking Asses."

The Reaper paid the intrusion without qualm. The only blood he wanted to spill was from the Chinaman on the palm of his hand. The man who dared to defy the Reaper.

"You owe…me this." Chang said in effort. "You..bastard."

Chang felt the Reaper loosen his grip. He caught a glimpse of the Reaper's eye change pace and looked away for a moment. A second after, it looked at him and returned to its previous animosity.

The Reaper let Chang go and pushed him away after a quick tug. Grin fell back to his bed and was drained. He berated himself for using up all his energy on such a petty display of badassery. It cost him so much and gained so little.

Everyone in the room took a big breath of relief. Despite the withdrawal of the tension, the Triad guards kept their barrels pointed at Grin without a moment's pause. Chang in the meantime took a moment to fix up his suit.

"Thank god THAT pulled through." Chang said coarsely. "Hey. Shin. Mind getting me a cup of water?"

One of the bodyguards bowed in reply and sheathed his weapon before going to the water dispenser at the corner of the room.

"Wut ju…min by…dat?" _What did you mean by that? _Grin asked as the bodyguard gave Chang a cup.

"When I said that you OWE us?" Chang said in a slightly amused tone.

Grin nodded. His eye gazed on at Chang and didn't spare a blink. It almost felt as though he had sprung a trap and was beginning to snap shut. He had to be careful with his next moves.

"I know just about enough about you to play this little gambit." Chang said. "I'm happy to say that I'm glad that it worked."

"This place, Roanapur is a funny little town." Chang continued. "It attracts the evilest of men and their vices and the most colorful of characters. Killers, psychos, criminals, dead men, so on. Oh and Druggies of course. Each is as creative and colorful as the next. You included. You have something about yourself that makes you stand out amongst the rest."

"Gt ta…d pnt." _Get to the point. _Grin mumbled irritably.

"Okay then, Reaper. I'll make this short." Chang tilted his sunglasses down. And said in a malevolent tone. "I've found your weakness."

"Wut r u…tlkn abt?" _What are you talking about?_

"Yeah, my sources told me this from your various contracts. I liked the one I heard I went out for a drink with good ol' Ronnie. You know, 'the Jaws'? From the Mafia. He told me that you were close to chopping him up to pasta when you got to a disagreement over a job. Said that you stopped on your tracks at the last second and was mentioning something about the contract."

"Cunning guy, that Ronnie. But he didn't realize how important that information was in painting the picture of the masterpiece known as the Reaper." Chang barked out a laugh. "Ha! And here I thought that you were a mad dog like those Russians."

"An opportunist you are but never thought of you as someone who follows a code." Chang snidely remarked. "Or honors a simple thing as a debt, as a matter a fact. You have class, I'll give you that. Your lot never ceases to amaze me."

Chang saw a flash go off in the Reaper's eye. Chang gave himself a small smile. The Reaper had played all his cards in and had nothing left to throw. He had him checkmated.

"So what's it gonna be, Reaper?" Chang asked coldly. "Are you gonna hold on that pitiful excuse of a rule or break it and lose yourself along the way. A lot of people lose themselves that way. Believe me, I know."

"I scratched your back you scratch mine. I save your life; you break your ass for mine. Either that or you'll find yourself as a sorry corpse running mill in slaughterhouse."

"…" Grin was at a loss of words. No counter came to mind. As much as Grin hated to admit it but he lost, badly. Never had he ever faced such a dilemma and felt so helpless against it.

"Whether you say yes or no. I don't care." Chang said flatly. "I have you under my leash as of now and I won't be letting go any time soon. You've put me through too much tonight and I won't let all my efforts go to waste. So get it in your thick skull and deal with it bub. You aren't the only one pissed off with how things turned out for the worst."

"Oh, before I forget." Chang said in an as-matter-a-fact tone on his way to the door. "I have some people lined up as leverage against you. So don't do anything stupid like kill yourself or run out on the job. I'd hate to lose a good Cleaner. Other than that, get some rest. We've got a lot of work to do soon. Ciao!"

The lights were flicked off and the door closed shut in front of him. Grin was alas left alone. He was alone with nothing but the machines to keep him company. Always left in the lonely shadows of the dark.

He sat still for hours on end. When the doctor came in and cautiously remade the bandages, Grin did not react or say anything till the man finished. Sleep never came to thought despite being tired. He simply sat there and swam deep in thought.

His first reaction after the doctor came in was slamming his fist onto the side table until it spilled its contents. The alarm clock clanged against the marble floor and the flower vase shattered to pieces. As drained as he was, Grin was enraged. He punched the wall behind him with his only hand and vented out some steam.

Chang thought he could use him for his own ends? He thought that the Reaper was someone's dog to be kept on a small leash? Not on his watch. He's going to find a way out and deal with _him _personally as soon as he was able. No one makes a fool out of the Reaper!

Grin scowled and ceased hitting the wall. The bandages on his hands were torn and blood began seeping out.

With his current condition, any means of escape seem to be nothing more than a pipe dream. Even IF he managed to drag himself off of bed and attempt anything funny, the camera above him sees all and security is bound to stop him in his tracks. The thought of fighting them off was not that far off but all the same he would be overpowered. Security will then be even tighter and escape would become nigh impossible.

All he could do now was to rest and heal. Recuperate. Wait for his strength to return and when the time was ripe, only then will he act. Skipping town was the only option and he prepared for this kind of situation. He had amply supplied safe houses scattered all around the city under various aliases. Chang's agents would never find all of them either.

But why wait? In a near death state Grin was in, why can't he just pull the plug himself and take his sorry life to the grave? Breaking his neck, biting his veins, destroying his life support, jumping out of the window etc. There are many ways to do it as well and whether it was painful or not didn't matter to him.

It would be his final act. His final act of defiance against Boss Chang. He will not get his Trump Card. Grin will let his kingdom crumble to the ground for daring to use him. Grin the Reaper was no one's Pawn.

But before Grin could act, he could not find the strength to sit up nor to even raise an arm. It was no drugs or exhaustion that stayed his hand. Grin was surprised to find himself unable to do anything. It confounded him as he saw that it was not an issue of strength but of his own will.

Why is he hesitant to end his life? Is it because that it would not be an ending that he desired?

Grin always reveled of dying in the midst of a good fight. It would be in a middle of a great battle while taking as many lives as he could to the grave. Not dying in a hospital bed with a broken body. It may not be as flashy as he wanted but he would do it to Chang out of sheer spite. Nothing would please him more.

Is it because he had come to care for the lives of others? Is he afraid for their wellbeing at the hands of the Triad?

With a man like Chang, that threat wouldn't be called a bluff. The man was capable of cold blood murder. He's known to do so. Grin knew that he could. He was also desperate in his position and desperate men make for dangerous people.

But why is Grin hesitating? It surely was not like himself. Are there perhaps drugs in his system that made him think like this?

Taking at a look at his meds, Grin grumbled at his disappointment. It was just normal drugs specific for his condition. The taste in his mouth tells him that the gas he is breathing was just a pathetic substitute for his usual brand. He was glad that Chang didn't know THAT much about him.

What the hell is happening to him? Did he possibly hit his head a little too much and grew himself a conscience? What if…

No. Grin did not care. He never cared for anyone least of all himself. Not even if it costs him the lives of those he had come to know. He denies it and he wasn't planning on changing that any time soon.

He did not care for them nor did he _love _any of them. Not the hospital workers with their stupidity and pathetic weaknesses. The very sight and being affiliated with those people made his skin crawl. Not the Lagoon Company with their selfish desires and personal issues he did not want to be a part of. Not for his 'experiments'. Not even for Sawyer…

Grin told himself this adamantly. He did not love nor does he know how too. Even if he did, Grin believed that he does not deserve to be loved.

They made their choice being in the city. It was a dead end where the only way out was the grave. He was only assisting them for the inevitable. It was all written in their heads the moment they came into the city. Grin was also sure that Chang would do it quickly.

He'd be doing them a favor already.

The road out of Roanapur was paved in blood.

He didn't notice it already but Grin already had a piece of glass on his hands. Grabbing it from the shattered vase from earlier trickles of blood bled out as it cut into his skin. It was an inch away from his arms when his gaze lingered on the flower that lay crumpled on the floor.

It was difficult to get a hold of it since it was far from his reach. With much effort, almost falling off the bed as he did, Grin held it by the tip and brought it close to himself.

_**You don't…have to face all these…on your own.**_

__Unknown to him, the glass slipped off his fingers. With a heavy sigh, Grin placed the flower carefully onto the table. Ripping a piece of fabric from his sheets, Grin made a makeshift tourniquet on his already bleeding hand before laying back and relaxing on his soft bed.

_Death, you nosy bitch. _Grin thought as he spoke to himself. _Fine then. I'll play along. I'm not that excited to go yet anyway. Might even bring some good friends on the way. I got a very special one at the end of my list._

_ I'll burn that Chinaman's empire from right under that smug bastard's nose._

With that in mind, Grin felt a little bit relaxed. Closing his already tired eye he fell to a dreamless sleep with only the beeping machines keeping him company.

_**Meanwhile**__…_

"Must admit, I actually thought that he was gonna do it." Chang said as he watched the screen in the monitor. "Never knew a hard man like him would have a soft spot. Well. That takes care of one problem and believe me, that takes a huge thorn out of my side."

He stretched himself from his chair in the confines of his comfortable office with view of the bustling city. Chang gave himself a big sigh of relief. Things are about to turn around for the Triad. He had gained himself an ace in a hole.

"The flowers were a nice touch too." Chang said as he turned his chair around from the view of the security monitors. "Where you expecting that to happen, Sawyer?"

"**No." **Sawyer said apathetically. The gothic lass sat with a bored look from one of the chairs in front Chang's table. "**May I…Leave."**

"Yes." Chang replied. "Yes you may."

With a bow, Sawyer stood and made her way towards the door. Her face was covered with the bangs of her hair and made it difficult to decipher what she really felt. Without another word, Sawyer closed the door behind her.

**A/N: **Alas, my story finishes but the end is still far off. In fact, this is more of a beginning of my masterpiece. So expect more of Grin and your favorite characters of Roanapur popping up soon.

Feel free to read through this story as I've made some changes – if not improvements – on the previous chapters. As any artist or writer, I am never satisfied with the final pieces and so I finally had the guts to make some alterations as to make the story a lot more concrete so enjoy.

Special thanks to **coldblue**. My biggest fan. I do enjoy your reviews and for giving out ideas that help me through some tough blocks. Expect something special in store for you. I have a story I got working on that might just interest you.


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